The Baby Bargain
by Xpecto Patronum
Summary: Hermione would never give up on a cause she believes in. Even when Voldemort have won and her life seemed to hit rock bottom, she still didn't lose the fight in her. But then she bumps into a certain blonde who gives her an ultimatum. The choice that seemed so righteous at first proves too hard for her and she starts doubting her willingness to do the right thing. *AU*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: You know that quote that says "Life starts at the end of your comfort zone"? Well I decided to give it a try. Unlike my other multi-chapter stories, this one starts off with Draco already acknowledging and accepting his feelings for Hermione. It's also my first attempt at M Rated fiction. Both of which are themes I'm trying to experiment with and see where things go. I hope it interests you while reading it the same way it interests me while writing it. Thank you for your time. :)**

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><p>Adelaide was a beautiful city, Draco thought as he walked down the street. It was the second time for him to be sent on a mission in Australia but last time he hardly had time to catch his breath. This time was different, though. It was a false alarm, they received news from one of their Australian informers that Neville Longbottom was seen somewhere in Mount Gambier.<p>

He headed there with a covey of Death Eaters, some of Voldemort's best men. He never knew why Voldemort expressed such interest in Longbottom out of all the other insurgents. Other men speculated that the reason behind such interest was the fact that Longbottom was considered one of the agitators. Draco remembered the speech the boy had made that day during the battle of Hogwarts. Yes, he'd probably make a good agitator, he thought.

Six years have passed since the battle of Hogwarts and irrevocable changes have happened to the Wizarding community. He didn't dare hide his mark or look at it with disgust anymore. In a society where being a Death Eater was the highest rank one could possibly reach, he should have considered himself one of the lucky few.

A few months after the war, his father was sent on a mission to punish a herd of Centaurs who refused to ally with Voldemort during the war. A mission that appeared out to be nothing but a death trap for Lucius. He never came back and the only survivor among the large group of men who accompanied him said the Centaurs were too vicious that very little of them men's bodies' were left.  
>It wasn't the Centaurs Voldemort was trying to punish, it was the Malfoys. But considering the new status quo, Voldemort couldn't afford killing off the patriarch of one of the most deep-rooted, pure-blood families in the wizarding world. It would have alarmed the rest of the pure bloods who reveled in the mix of security and superiority the new regime had given them. So he made Lucius walk to death with his own legs.<p>

Draco's mother was never the same after his father's death. She seemed to lose interest in life gradually. When his death was reported eventually, she didn't blink at the news. When people expressed their condolences to her she was as poised as ever, causing rumors to spread about her relationship with her late husband. Then it seemed like she stopped living. She ate, she drank, she attended social events when necessary and even held ones of her own when Voldemort ordered her to. She made polite conversations with people and was her normal hospitable self. But all that evaporated the minute people were gone. She talked very little to Draco, nothing he did seemed to bring her back to her normal state. He even tried provoking her, picking up fights for trivial reasons but she just looked at him with silent indifference in return, refusing to fight back. But Draco was becoming used to it, she might not be the same and maybe they shared very few words lately, but he was grateful for her mere presence.

What Draco saw in front of him snapped him out of his deep thoughts. A middle-aged couple were walking towards him but what caught his attention was the woman. She had wavy brown hair that went a few inches past her shoulder, a tan that didn't seem to suit her features and a pair of dark brown eyes that looked way too familiar for Draco. They reminded him of a certain brunette that occupied his thoughts for too long.

Every time news came to their headquarters about one of the insurgents he was the most eager in investigating the matter. While he let other people interpreted this as hard work and eagerness to please Voldemort and repent for his family's mistake, he knew this wasn't the reason. With every raid, he was hoping that he could find her. Nobody knew where she was and most of them speculated that she was dead. His gut feeling told him otherwise though, and he kept on hopping from one country to the other hoping that in one of those houses they kept targeting, he would find her. Or that, as a worst case scenario, he could have her death confirmed.

He lost track of the number of people he had interrogated about her. He had interrogated Ginevra Weasly alone over five times about her and she gave him absolutely no useful information. Almost six months ago, somebody reported seeing her and he had never been more willing to go on a raid before. Then all his eagerness turned into fury when he realized it was some other girl that looked like her, he almost killed their informer but he refrained at the last minute.

Did they have to be born on opposite sides of the spectrum? Draco mused ruefully. Had he been born to a different family, a family that wasn't so prejudiced against her, his whole life could've been turned upside down. What if his parents never passed on their ideologies to him? What if he had the nerve to throw these ideologies behind his back when he finally had the chance to make a choice for himself? He could've stayed at Hogwarts and fought and for once they would have been on the same side. Yes, he was most probably going to end up dead. But wasn't dying better than living with the consequences of a series of wrong choices?  
>No. Draco shook his head with a frown. He had made the right choice; family came first, that was the one code he would never be able to live against. It didn't matter whether he made the right choice or the wrong one; he made the Malfoy choice.<p>

Draco was so consumed by the thought of finding her that he didn't even care what would happen next. Chances are she would try to kill him the minute she caught a glimpse of him. And even if he was able to persuade her to listen to him, did he really have anything to say to defend himself? If she was still alive and hiding then she would probably be one of the insurgents if not their leader. Draco realized he was trying to make parallel lines meet.

The insurgents were weak, they were scattered allover different countries with little to no means of communication. So they avoided confrontation at all costs. He was looking for a woman who was doing her best to stay away from people like him. But hadn't she always stayed away from people like him? Draco sighed in frustration; with all the power that now lay at the tip of his finger, he still wasn't able to find the one thing he was looking for.  
>And even if he did find her, there was the dilemma of keeping her with him. By force, he could definitely secure her to his side for as long as he pleased, but that would be an ill-gotten gain. He wanted a real chance with her, one where he would get to reveal his true colors. Where she would listen to him, understand and eventually accept him and...dared he say, love him?. Of course there was zero to none chance that she would let him do that, but it was worth trying; Hermione Granger was worth trying for.<p>

Unable to stop himself, he went after the couple who have passed by him. They were holding hands and chatting animatedly as if they were teenagers.

"Excuse me." he called after them and the couple turned around.

"Hello, I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." he extended his hand and the couple shook it respectively, looking at him with a puzzled smile.

"I'm afraid this will sound odd but you look a lot like a friend of mine and I couldn't help but wonder if you're related to her." he explained in the most friendly

manner he could muster, directing his words to the woman . "Does the family name 'Granger' ring a bell?" he asked.

"Well, aside from the fact that we live in Grange road, I'm afraid not." said the man, laughing at what he seemed to think of as a joke, and the woman apparently shared his opinion as she chuckled at him. Draco did his best not to grimace at the couple.

"I'm Monica Wilkins and this is Wendell Wilkins, my husband." the woman introduced "I'm sorry we're not familiar with that name, but I hope you find your friend soon." she smiled at him pleasantly.

"It's alright, I'm sorry for the disturbance." Draco nodded curtly at them, plastering a smile to his face.

Draco turned on his heel and walked away from the Wilkins, the flame of hope that was starting to rise in him, instantly extinguished.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco had been stalling his return to London for three days now. There was no reason for him to stay after the woman who he thought was Hermione's mother turned out to be a different person. A thought kept nagging him, what if they were actually her parents, but they were lying to protect her? If that was true then it meant that Hermione could be anywhere in this city.

This was hopeless, Draco sighed in frustration. He had tracked the Wilkins and have been lurking outside their house and following them most of the time but nothing seemed to happen. He even broke into their house and no sign of Hermione was there. Maybe it was just pure coincidence. Or maybe Monica Wilkins didn't even look like Hermione and his mind was playing tricks on him.

A sudden movement snapped Draco out of his deep thought. He looked around him but nothing seemed different. He was about to decide that it was probably a cat when he saw a shadow move in the backyard of the Willkins' house. He approached the shadow carefully and with every step he was becoming more convinced that the shadow might be another trick by his mind.  
>The figure was of a girl, a mass of very familiar brown hair framed her face. She looked like she was trying to look through the window. He walked closer and something cracked under his feet.<p>

Alarmed by the noise, the girl snapped her head up and looked at him. Any doubt Draco had about her identity vanished as he saw the look of horror on her face.

"Granger!" he stared at her incredulously. But he was talking to thin air. Hermione jumped away from him and started running in the opposite direction. He ran after her but she was already turning into another street. When had she become so fast!

Draco followed her, letting his legs take him as far as they could. This could go on forever, he thought grimly. She seemed very familiar with those streets, unlike him. She stopped for a minute, grabbing one of the bins in the street and threw it him in an attempt to stop him. But he waved it away with his wand. No longer caring whether or not he could be seen by a Muggle, Draco took out his wand and pointed it at Hermione's feet. She stumbled and fell, second later he was pinning her to the ground.

"Get off me! _GET OFF ME, MALFOY!_ I'm going to kill you I swear." she was flailing her arms frantically everywhere, trying to claw at his face.

Draco tried to take hold of her hands but she aimed something between a slap and a punch at his face and he fell back. Taking the precious chance, Hermione ran again. Enraged, Draco pointed his wand at her and yelled "Petrificus Totalus". the spell hit here right before she was about to turn into another narrow street.

Hermione fell to the hard ground with a thud and Draco instantly regretted his actions. He went over to her, she was unconscious and as he lifted her off the ground, he noticed that there was a trail of blood. Draco cursed himself loudly, he braced Hermione's stiff body over his chest and apparated them back to his house.

Hermione's eyes fluttered as she half opened them. She felt dizzy and it was a long moment before the blur that clouded her vision had faded. She gradually let her eyes get accustomed to the bright lights around her and then started scanning the room. Her eyes instantly fell on the man who was sitting by the bed. Hermione's eyes widened in alarm, she looked around her trying to think of a way out.

"You can't escape, Granger. And I doubt you'll need to escape at all. Calm down." Draco reached out for her hand but she flinched away.

"_Don't_ touch me." she warned.

"Alright" he raised both hands up.

"Look, if I wanted to kill you I would've done it the moment I saw you. And if I wanted to imprison you, you wouldn't be in my bed now."

"You_ were_ trying to kill me, I didn't do this to myself_" she pointed at her head "_and prison sounds more appealing than your bed." she struggled to get off the bed. Standing on shaky feet, she swayed for a moment as she tried to regain her balance. Draco grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back to the bed.

"I wasn't trying to kill you, I was trying to stop you." he explained "Who knew you could run so fast!" he mused.

"Years of living on the run sort of help you improve that skill." she sneered at him.

"Look, as unbelievable as this might sound, I really want to help you. And honestly, you have no way out of here without my help. This is the Malfoy Manor, you can't apparate out of it. The only way you can get out is through the door and I'd _love_ to see you trying._"_ he smirked at her.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously for a moment before speaking "How are you going to help me, then?" she asked.

"First, go have a shower; you look terrible." he said, standing up.

"How I look isn't any of your business, Malfoy. Answer me." she scowled at him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you aren't desperate for a decent bath?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on." he urged as he extended his hand for her, she hesitated a bit but took it eventually.

"Take your time." he said as she slammed the door in his face.

Draco sat on the bed patiently, waiting for Hermione to come out. This was better than Christmas, he smiled wickedly. But his smile faded when he saw a drop of blood on the pillow next to him. _Bloody idiot!_ He scolded himself, out of all the spells in the history of magic, he decided to use a spell that would knock her down on the hard ground. A house elf would've been cleverer than that! But he did heal her, didn't he? It didn't matter, Draco had learned the hard way that fixing something doesn't change the fact that you broke it in the first place.

She looked like a ghost of Hermione, he brooded. She had lost half of her weight, there were dark shadows underneath her eyes, bloodshot eyes. But they still gleamed and glittered as bright as ever. Her hair was much longer now and untrimmed yet it still framed her face almost protectively. The past years must have taken their toll on her but she was still the same, she hadn't lost an iota of the fight in her. And Draco sighed in relief at that thought; his worst fear was a broken Hermione.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom after too long, dressed in a grey bathrobe that went past her knees. She tried to push her hair back, away from her face and it kept dripping water everywhere.

"Why didn't you dry your hair?" Draco asked

"I don't have a wand." Hermione replied.

"Yes, where's your wand? I haven't seen it with you, did you drop it back in Australia?" he asked

"I..don't have a wand at all." Hermione shook her head "I haven't had a wand for the past seven months, there was this man, he recognized me and wanted to take me to...you-know-who. We fought and I escaped but he managed to break my wand. I never got the chance to find another one." she explained.

Draco stared at Hermione, his mouth gaping. A witch or a wizard's worst nightmare is living without their wands. Having to use a wand that wasn't yours was bad enough, but having no wand at all was horrible.

"So, how did you manage without a wand?" he asked.  
>"Well, I thought it was a good chance for me to practice wandless magic. I was always good at it." she raised her chin up proudly. Draco's mouth twisted in a smile, she was probably the only person he knew who would find a silver lining in such a difficult situation.<p>

"Alright, I'll try to find you a wand." he said.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry?" Draco frowned at her

"Why would you find me a wand? Why didn't you kill or imprison me when you had the chance? And why do you say you're going to help me?" she demanded

"I'll find you a wand because you're a witch and witches usually need wands. I didn't kill or imprison you because I don't want to. And I'm helping you because I want to." Draco shrugged.

"Oh! How thoughtful of you! Really, Malfoy, what do you want from me?" she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Look, if I have found you two or three months ago I would've had absolutely no power to help you. You're on top of the 'Wanted' list, you're a Muggle-born and you're one of the insurgents and Potter's best friend, this is recipe for disaster. But then something happened_" he sat down on the bed next to her and she moved back, ignoring her gesture, Draco continued.

"You see, our society have changed, most muggle-borns aren't safe now. They fled away, and those of them who are still here are treated as servants. And then there are the blood-traitors, the Weaslys as an example. Arthur Weasly have been demoted to a lowly job in Gringotts now, his wife and his children are scattered everywhere and we weren't able to track them down yet, his son Geroge fled the country recently."

Hermione's heart sank at the news she was hearing, she had been trying to contact them but to no avail. "However, blood-traitors specially the Weaslys got...fairer treatment. They had trials where they could defend themselves. Arthur and George Weasly denied having any more loyalty to Potter and they had absolutely no information about the insurgents, so they were spared."

"They would never say something like that!" Hermione fumed at him.

"That's what happened, Granger. I told you things were different now. Ginevra Weasly, though was a different case. She was barking mad, she cursed and tried to slap one of the Death Eaters when he was taking her away and refused to reply to any questions directed at her." Draco shook his head in amusement and Hermione grinned, that was definitely something Ginny would do.

"So as a result, she received a death sentence. _However_, and that's the important part, she said she was pregnant and that the father was Blaise Zabini." he added. Hermione gasped in shock.

"Yes, we all gasped when we heard this. But appeared out it was true, Blaise was the father. In this new society, a Death Eater is the highest rank anybody could possibly achieve, there are healers, wand makers, professors, an endless list of jobs. But eventually, a Death Eater ranks above them all, because they serve the Dark Lord directly. So being a Death Eater has some privileges, their families are as secure as they are. When Ginevra said that, she saved her own life; she was bearing a Death Eater's child and that protected her from the death sentence."

"Ginny would never...I mean...she..maybe she was forced." Hermione grimaced at what Draco just told her.

"She wasn't forced into anything, Granger. She just had a sense of self preservation and she was smart enough to act upon it." Draco shrugged.

"_No_, you don't know her, she's not like that." Hermione shook her head and frowned at him.

"Alright, it doesn't matter, this is not about her; it's about you." Draco dismissed Hermione's talk about Ginny.

"I'm not sure I get it..." Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's simple, Granger." Draco held Hermione's gaze, "I could let you walk out of the Manor, I won't report finding you, but you'll be on your own without the minimum protection of a wand. Or you can have my child, that will provide you with all the protection you could possibly need, and I'm willing to give you that. Choice is yours." he offered, his eyes burning into hers.


	3. Chapter 3

"Malfoy,_ I'm _supposed to be the one who fell and hit her head, not you." Hermione scoffed.  
><em>"<em>I'm fully aware of what I'm saying." Draco insisted  
>"Then you've gone completely mental! Having a child with you being my only other option makes death sound extremely tempting." Hermione scowled at him.<br>Draco grimaced at her response. So, she wasn't his biggest fan, he knew that. But choosing death over staying with him was a slap to both his ego and his heart, one that he will take time to recover from.

"Do you really find my company worse than death?" He frowned at her.  
>"No, your company -although not really desirable- is something I can put up with. It's having your child that's absolutely absurd. Do you even realize what having a child with somebody means? It's...it's creating life! You're not supposed to degrade such a thing by using it as a weapon! Children are supposed to grow up safe and loved. Do you really think that WE could spend a moment without being at each other's throats? " Hermione was frantic, she talked so fast that Draco had to use every ounce of his concentration to understand her words.<br>"Do you realize how messed up a child could be if raised between such parents?" Hermione sounded like she was thinking out loud.

Draco watched Hermione closely, waiting for her to go through the panic attack he had already expected. Her eyes were gleaming furiously.  
>"Honestly, I was really worried about that child to come, but hearing you talk about raising a child like that has eradicated my worries. You're obviously passionate about being a mother." Draco admitted.<br>"Yes Malfoy, I'd actually like to be one. But not to your child. Not with a man who can't be a father."  
>"What makes you think you know whether I could be a father or not?"<br>"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you're a Death Eater? Maybe it's because you're one of the servants of the darkest wizard of all time? Maybe because you're turning into your father?" Hermione fumed at him.  
>Draco was furious as Hermione's last remark hit home. He strode over to Hermione and yanked her arm. "I am not anybody's servant. I am <em>nothing<em> like my father. And I will not listen to anymore insults from you. Watch your language, Granger; you don't exactly have the upper hand in this." he hissed at her.

"See? Can you see this very moment? Now imagine a child standing by the door and witnessing that, and tell me that you are willing to do that to your own child. Because I think that even _you_ can't be that cruel." Hermione challenged.  
>"It doesn't have to be like this." Draco sighed exasperatedly, letting go of Hermione's arm.<br>"Yes!" Hermione nodded eagerly "It doesn't have to be like this; it doesn't have to be at all. Forget about me, do you really want to do this to yourself? When you start a family, don't you want it to be with someone that you love? Someone you chose?" Hermione reasoned with him hopefully.  
><em>But that's exactly what I'm doing<em>, Draco thought. "I don't happen to have a partner lately, and I haven't had a serious relationship in a while. Love in not on my agenda, either. So it's safe to say that I have other basis on which I choose how to start a family." he replied as diplomatically as possible.

"What are those basis? What's in it for you, Malfoy? Because I find it hard to believe that you've suddenly become concerned for my well-being. So tell me what do you gain out of this?" Hermione narrowed her eyes on him quizzically.  
>"You make the greatest gain out of this, Granger. Your life. But of course it has something for me too. For starters, I'll be the man who caught Hermione Granger, one of the most wanted witches, this will definitely be a great boost to my position among the ranks of Death Eaters. Everything held against the Malfoy name will be disregarded. And I will do it without feeling the guilt of bringing you to your death." Draco explained. "And then of course, there's the fact that I get to be a father without going through the emotional hassle of marriage. Our marriage will be different, we will both expect very little from each other and that means less disappointment."<p>

"Our..marriage?" Hermione repeated slowly.  
>"Of course, no child of mine will be born out of wedlock." Draco stated matter-of-factly "But we don't have to worry about that yet; marriage will come later." he added. "So, now that we both know what we gain and what we lose, what's your choice?" he asked, holding Hermione's gaze.<br>"No, my answer is definitely no. You said you'll let me go without reporting that you have found me, so do it. I'll put on my clothes and leave in a couple of minutes." Hermione answered confidently, running back to the bathroom before Draco could say anything.

Hermione tarried in the bathroom; she wasn't half as confident as she pretended to be. Malfoy's offer was so absurd that it didn't even deserve a second thought. He wanted a career boost and an improved social rank. He also wanted a family the easy way, which went further to prove that he didn't even understand what a family meant. The idea of Malfoy wanting to be a father was intriguing, though. Would he be a good one? Or would he just raise another Death Eater? She didn't know and she shouldn't care. She was nearly defenseless and now there was no way he could find her a wand like he had said.

But so what? Hadn't she survived worse circumstances? A lot worse, Hermione smiled bitterly. However, she was back in England now, closer to danger than ever. Death Eaters were roaming the streets and nobody would hesitate in handing her over to them, out of loyalty to Voldemort or in fear of him. Thanks to Malfoy she was now trapped in this place with no chance of escaping. Apparating had become hard for her ever since she became wandless, and thanks to those bloody regulations about cross-border apparitition she won't be able to leave.

What were her chances of survival? Hermione brooded. Was Voldemort going to kill her the minute she got caught? No, he would probably torture her into insanity first. A shiver ran through her spine.  
>She had never been afraid of death...maybe a little. But what other options did she have? Live with a Death Eater and raise another one? No, definitely not, if Hermione was going to die, she would die fighting.<p>

"Aren't there rules that prevent you from apparating across countries?" Hermione asked as she walked out of the bathroom.  
>"To prevent <em>you<em>, not me. I'm a Death Eater." Draco corrected.  
>"You don't need to remind me of that." Hermione shot him a look of contempt before walking out of the door and down the stairs.<p>

"Wait! Hermione wait!" Draco called after her, she turned around and he was flying down the stairs. What did he just call her?  
>"Stay tonight, you can leave tomorrow." He offered . Hermione looked at the near window, it was almost dawn and she had never felt like she needed to sleep like she did now. And more than anything, she needed energy for the days that came ahead.<br>"Alright" she nodded slightly. He led her back to the bedroom. "You can sleep here. I'll sleep in another room." he said and Hermione watched him as he walked to the far end of the corridor and enter on of the rooms.

The bed seemed so inviting, but then Hermione remembered that it was Malfoy's bed. Why was he trying to be nice? What was he playing at? It could be that he was actually feeling guilty after everything that happened to her since they lost the war. After all, Malfoy had a tiny spot of good in him, that was something she believed in ever since he had refused to kill Dumbledore. It might have been just pure cowardice, though. During the battle of Hogwarts, she almost thought he was going to fight by their side, but he ended up running away like the coward that he was. It didn't matter; he probably killed lots of other people to make up for those mistakes and that tiny spot was probably eradicated.

Now after all this, could she really trust him when he was being helpful? No! He would probably break through that door with a gang of fellow Death Eaters at any minute and she had to act fast. Hermione opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs. She was inches away from the manor's door when a house elf popped up in front of her.  
>"Mistress cannot leave the house." the elf shook her head strongly, she was fiddling with her hands nervously. Her huge eyes looking left and right then back at Hermione.<br>"Step away from the door, please." Hermione frowned at the little creature in front of her.  
>"<em>No. No. No.<em>" the elf insisted, punctuating every word with a stomp of her leg. "Idgy can not let Mistress out of the house." she added sternly.  
>Idgy sure seemed edgy, Hermione mused. She looked nice, though; her eyes were kind despite all the sternness she was trying to put into them.<br>"Look edg...Idgy, I have to leave and please keep your voice down!" Hermione started getting edgy herself. Malfoy must have ordered Idgy to stop Hermione from leaving which only increased her suspicions about his intentions.  
>"Mistress will have to kill Idgy to go through the door." Idgy crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Hermione in challenge. Hermione gaped at the elf, she was horrified at the idea of what would happen if it was somebody else trying to leave the house, somebody more...lethal. An elf could actually walk into their own deaths with persistent steps just to follow their master's orders, this was brutal!<p>

Hermione heard footsteps behind her and she turned around to see Malfoy inches away from her. He got taller, she noted as he towered over her.  
>"You said you were staying." he quirked an eyebrow at her.<br>"I couldn't trust you, I expect a gang of Death Eaters to be here at any minute to take me away. And this_" she pointed at Idgy "_just confirmed my doubts."  
>"I thought you would try to leave, and I didn't want to go as far as charming the door and the windows so I decided a house elf was the perfect solution. I know you wouldn't dare lay a finger on a house elf and eventually you would give up trying." he explained. "She could be very persistent." he nodded at Idgy's direction then smirked at Hermione.<br>"Malfoy, you utter git!" Hermione swung her fist at Malfoy's face but he ducked and avoided her punch by a few inches.

"Granger, listen_" Draco grabbed Hermione's shoulders and pulled her closer "_I am not trying to set you up, this is not some sort of trap and nobody is coming here. I just want you to stay tonight because there's something I want to talk to you about tomorrow and I couldn't be sure if you'd still be there when I wake up. That's why I told the house elf to make sure you never left the house, because I want to talk to you, not kill you!" he shook his head in frustration.  
>"What's that something?" Hermione inquired.<br>"Not now, I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Draco insisted.

"Fine, I'm leaving then." Hermione lifted her chin up in defiance.  
>"Good luck with that." he twisted his mouth sardonically at her. "Idgy, Ms. Granger can only leave this house over your dead body. Stay by the door for the rest of the day." he dictated and the elf just nodded meekly.<br>"What? That's horrible! You can't just keep her standing by the door all day long!" Hermione fumed at him.  
>"I can, but it all depends on you. If you go back to your room and stay there until I come for you tomorrow, then Idgy's work here is done and I can send her back to the kitchen. But if you insist on leaving then I guess she's going to have a tough day ahead." Draco said.<br>"You manipulative slimeball!" Hermione hissed at him. He stood there impassively, looking at her. Hermione's eyes kept travelling between Malfoy who gazed at her blankly and Idgy who seemed unaffected by her master's recent orders, as if she was used to such rubbish from him.  
>"Fine, I'm staying." Hermione huffed "But you'd better be quick, Malfoy because if by noon you didn't say what is it that you want from me I'll leave without a backward glance." she warned. Draco nodded his head in acknowledgment and ordered Idgy to go back to the kitchen, to Hermione's great relief.<p>

Hermione slept like her life depended on it, and somehow it did. She woke up unaware of the time, only aware that every muscle in her body was eternally grateful for the choice she had made the previous night. Her stomach grumbled as she headed to the bathroom. When she came out of it after a while, something delicious teased her nostrils and Hermione thought hunger was making her imagine things. She wasn't though, a tray of breakfast sat next to her bed and Hermione had her first decent meal in a long while. As she ate breakfast her thoughts drifted back to breakfast at the burrow, she smiled ruefully as one happy memory after the other made their way through her mind.

There was a barely audible knock at the door and Hermione thought it was one of the house elves. She opened the door to find Malfoy instead.  
>"Good morning" he smiled at her as he entered the room without waiting for permission. <em>Of course it was his room but some little manners wouldn't hurt<em>, Hermione frowned.  
>"How did you like the room?" he asked.<br>"It was..I don't know it didn't seem really yours." Hermione admitted.  
>"Not enough green?" he raised an eyebrow at her.<br>"Yes, that." she replied.  
>"There's a common misconception that Slytherins cover their world in every shade of green that ever existed. That's not true, I happen to like other colors as well." he said.<br>"Maybe, I just didn't imagine your room to look like this." Hermione replied nonchalantly.  
>"And you were imagining my room because?" Draco grinned mischievously at her.<br>"Malfoy, if you didn't come here to tell me about whatever you were talking about last night then shut your conceited mouth up." Hermione glared at him.  
>"Well, it's not exactly me, but there's somebody that wants to see you." Draco announced "And no, it's <em>not<em> the Dark Lord." he added at the look of horror that flashed over her face.  
>"Who is it?" she eyed him suspiciously. "Just come!" Draco grabbed her hand impatiently and urged her outside the room. She stood at the top of the stairs as she recognized who her guest was.<br>"_Ginny!_" Hermione squealed as she flew down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm sorry this chapter was a bit late but it took more time than I expected it to. Also, I have to admit I'm not a fan of too much dialogue but this chapter is mainly based on Hermione and Ginny talking together so an extremely long dialogue is inevitable. I hope I got it right. :)**

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><p>Hermione was jumping two steps at a time. When she was close enough she almost knocked Ginny to the floor, hugging her as if her life depending on it. They sat down on the nearest sofa.<p>

"Alright, first things first, are you actually pregnant?" Hermione studied Ginny from head to toe, knowing the answer for her question already.

"As pregnant as it gets." Ginny nodded.

"Zabini.._Blaise Zabini_..out of the entire male population, Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"It's a long story, pretty complicated too." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Oh I have time, lots of it. So maybe start by telling me _for the love of Merlin_ what were you thinking!" Hermione exclaimed

Ginny glanced over Hermione shoulder and Hermione looked back to find Malfoy standing there witnessing their conversation.

"Would I be pushing my luck too far if I told you to leave us alone?' Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Far, but not too far." Draco inclined his head slightly before going back to his room.

"Where do I start?" Ginny looked up for a minute trying to sort her thoughts out. "You see, things have become very different ever since you..left."

"Skip that part I've already heard it several times now. What made you do it Ginny?" Hermione rested her hand on Ginny's arm and looked at her sympathetically

"Were you forced?" she asked.

"No...not really. I had very little other options yes, but I wasn't exactly forced...not me." Ginny smiled weakly.

"What do you mean not you?" Hermione looked puzzled.

"I mean..I think I was the one who..sort of forced Blaise into this." Ginny clarified.

"I'm really trying to convince myself that I'm mishearing things because I hit my head." Hermione closed her eyes.

"Alright, first I want to tell you how everybody is doing." Ginny said "Charlie is confined to Romania; he's not allowed to come back here neither are we allowed to at least owl him. Our post is under surveillance. However, we hear from him sometimes. Every once in a while, when one of his colleagues is here in England he passes by to let us know he's okay." she informed. Hermione nodded silently at her.

"Percy tried to find a job at the ministry but we aren't allowed such jobs because they...doubt our loyalty" Ginny snorted. "He was becoming more frustrated everyday, he would fight with dad almost every hour and I started losing my ability to put an end to their fights, eventually he said he was leaving and he did." she frowned "We don't know whether he managed to ever leave England or..or got killed while trying to escape, we don't know yet but we never heard from him, that was 3 years ago."  
>"Then there's Bill and Fleur. They fled the country right after the war, before the restriction orders against our family were made so the Death Eaters are still trying to track them. Mum is with them, we had to physically force her onto Bill's broomstick; she was so reluctant to leave. They went to France first but then the French Death Eaters found them, they had a fight and Fleur was injured but they managed to escape." Ginny said.<p>

"The..French Death Eaters?" Hermione repeated.

"Yes, there are some of them everywhere now." Ginny nodded.

"When I was in Germany I found some, that was the reason I couldn't stay there. There weren't any in Australia, though." Hermione looked distracted as she remembered her memories in the different countries.

"You went to Germany..and Australia? How?" Ginny frowned in bewilderment.

"Muggle ways, they were much easier than risking being caught if I tried to apparate or fly. It wasn't very easy, though; I lost my passport so..." Hermione started to explain but stopped when Ginny's frown deepened. "Just some Muggle stuff, never mind them. Continue." she waved her hand indifferently.

"So, Bill, Fleur and mum escaped to Egypt. But Bill was becoming suspicious of one of his colleagues and he decided not to risk being caught again. They moved to Morocco. Bill usually sends some news with any of his colleagues or one of Fleur's family members. We got news from them last month actually. They're doing fine, their Victoire is keeping mum busy but she's becoming so possessive of her and it's driving Fleur mad!" Ginny chuckled mischievously and Hermione couldn't help but grin back. She could definitely imagine Molly as a protective grandmother.

"And...umm..Ron, he.." Ginny mumbled fidgeting in her chair.

"No." Hermione raised her hand in a motion to stop her. "I know about Ron." she looked at her linked fingers as they lay idly in her lap. She knew all about Ron and how he was imprisoned right after the battle. They held a trial for him where he refused pledge loyalty to Voldemort and got killed as a result. Hermione had never been proud of her friend the way she was proud now, She smiled ruefully.

"All that was left was Dad, George and me. George had the best spirit, he continued his business but then he came up with this...this toy. It's some sort of a Jack In The Box. A skull shaped box, you tap it with your wand and a snake jumps out of it, wearing a hat similar to the one Peeves wore." Ginny smiled at the thought.  
>"He called it 'Mrs. Mordre' which obviously enraged you-know-who and his followers so they raided the shop and left it wrecked. George got injured, in his arm I think but he escaped from them."<p>

"When I heard he was injured I was furious. I went directly to his shop but he had already escaped. Yet, some of the Death Eaters were still there. And I heard one of them bragging about how his curse hit George right in the arm." Ginny grimaced as her eyes gleamed with cold fury at the memory.  
>"I couldn't help it, so I stunned him...my curse hit him right in the chest." she smirked proudly.<p>

"But they were six and I was one, they started attacking so I ran away. I didn't want to go back home so they won't hurt dad, so I started running around the streets aimlessly and they followed me. One of them attacked me and took my wand, and I realized that if I stopped and tried to take it back from him, then I'm definitely dead. So I ran away and hid in the nearest house, it was abandoned and filthy and I thought they won't search for me there...I was wrong." her mouth curved bitterly.

"I heard them enter the house and then footsteps were approaching the room I was in. I hid behind the curtain and wished for the best; I didn't have anywhere else to hide. Then somebody entered the room and he walked around a little before standing right in front of the curtain. He moved it and I found Blaise standing in front of me."Ginny took a deep breath as she remembered the panic that washed over her in that moment.

"I panicked and tried to punch him but he caught my hand and covered my mouth with his other hand. Somebody asked him if he had found something and he just said there was nothing in that room, turned around and left." she shook her head as if she still didn't believe what had happened. Hermione's mouth fell open and she angled her head down as she looked at Ginny.

"You think that's confusing? After they left, I decided I can't go back home in fear that they would be waiting for me so I decided to leave the house and try to find a wand since I was probably never getting my wand back. But when I went downstairs my wand was right there at the bottom of the stairs!" Ginny raised her hands up in a puzzled motion.

"I dressed myself in rags and tatters and left the house. I heard people talking about what happened, they said there was going to be a trial for the three of us then I realized they found George. I walked to our house and there seemed to be no Death Eaters around so I apparated inside. Dad was sitting by George's bed and they were talking about said trial." Ginny said.

"Dad said that if we wanted to survive the trial then we had to pretend. Deny any loyalty to Harry and claim we have given into the..new regime." Ginny grimaced in disgust. "Geroge and I were reluctant but we eventually agreed. But then Geroge told me he was going to run away after the trial, he knew where Dean Thomas was and was going to join him. He asked me not to tell Dad so he won't try to stop him." she added.

"But why would Geroge leave you in such circumstances?" Hermione asked after a while of silently listening and nodding.

"He wasn't trying to leave us out of fear, Hermione." Ginny shook her head "He was losing his patience, and when they wrecked the shop he had shared with Fred, it enraged him, He decided that he didn't want to feel helpless anymore so he was going to try and reach Dean and fight along with the rest of the insurgents." she explained.

"So then I did something _really_ mad." Ginny bit her lower lip.

"Something, Ginny? Just one thing?" Hermione mocked.

"I went to see Blaise." Ginny said, ignoring Hermione's sarcasm.

"But why?" Hermione sighed in frustration.

"Well he did actually help me. He denied my existence and I'm pretty sure that wand didn't just fall from the other Death Eater's hand. Anyway, I thought that if he helped me once maybe he could help me twice. I wanted to leave with George and take dad with us. George was right, staying in such circumstances pointless, we needed to do something like the others were trying to." Ginny reasoned with Hermione

"So I went to his house and waited for him until he came back, it was a rather odd encounter actually_" Ginny frowned "_ we were holding wands against each other's throats." her mouth twisted.

"He refused to say why he helped me but he also said that this wasn't a real trial and whatever I said the result was still the same, I was going to receive a death sentence. The trial was only a cover to kill me without causing the other pure blood families to feel threatened. Then he said something that triggered all this, he said that unless I found a Death Eater _generous enough to touch me_ then death was inevitable for me." Ginny said and it was Hermione's turn to grimace in disgust.

"I returned home that day to find that we received an owl from the ministry informing us of a trial within two days. Dad kept begging us to deny loyalty to Harry in the trial. He said we were the only family he had left and he...he cried." a pained expression crossed Ginny's face and her voice trailed off.

"When I went home that day I was thinking I wasn't afraid of death, but then I saw how dad was like and I realized he was only surviving all this because he had me and George. If something happened to us, I don't think he was going to survive any longer." her voice was barely audible as if she was speaking to herself.

"I thought that maybe if I died George would find more reasons to leave, and that would mean either leaving Dad behind or Dad trying to stop him which will eventually lead into the first option: leaving Dad behind. There were lots of other scenarios, but I couldn't fathom any of them. Honestly, I was almost sure George wasn't going to survive his planned escape. "Ginny shook her head as a shiver ran through her body.

"And what Blaise said kept echoing in my head; I knew what he meant, but I never thought about it. There's this law.." Ginny started to speak but Hermione interrupted her.

"Malfoy told me about it" Hermione said. "So you decided to throw yourself in hell willingly?" she added.

"Wouldn't you do the same for your own family?" Ginny asked.

"I think I would" Hermione conceded.

"I thought so." Ginny smiled briefly at Hermione "So, I have to admit part of why I chose Blaise was purely to get back at him. Some sort of, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me." Ginny confided. "The other part was what he did in the abandoned house." she inclined her head.

"I then went to his house again and..umm..." Ginny looked down as she tucked her hair behind her ear "I..sort of..pounced on him." she stammered as color flooded her cheeks.

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped incredulously.

"I know! I'm not really proud of it, alright?" Ginny rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Anyway, after we...I mean..later on, he tried to catch me but I was faster than him. You know that quote about how girls with their skirts up are faster than boys with their trousers down?" Ginny grinned at her.

"Ginny! You've become really bawdy!" Hermione fought to maintain a serious expression.

"Come on, it was just a metaphor!" Ginny feigned innocence.

"So I ran away that day and payed dad a brief visit telling him that I was going to hide for a while. I couldn't tell him why but I think he trusted me enough to let me go. He had so much faith in me, he said he trusted that I was the only one who would never leave his side, and it only made me more determined on what I was doing." she said.

"I had to wait for 21 days until I could perform a pregnancy spell. Not the best days of my life, I have to admit." Ginny stood up and started to walk "Sitting down for a long time can be very irritating. " she explained when she saw Hermione looking at her in bewilderment.

"I think you already know how things went on from that point. I knew I was pregnant, I returned home and the next day there was a trial and...I guess Malfoy told you about that." Ginny shrugged. "Living with Blaise its up sides, though." she added.

"I'm sure he's great at small talk, is he a flowers and chocolate sort of guy too?" Hermione smiled innocently at Ginny.

"No he just looks like one." Ginny retorted playfully. "That's not the sort of up sides I was talking about. His owls aren't being inspected so I get to send letters to mum and Charlie every now and then. They seem to be able to get more information about the others." she clarified.

"Like around a week ago, I heard Blaise talking to somebody, they said they have found Neville in Australia and they were heading there to capture him. I sent an owl to Charlie and he managed to pass the news to Neville through the family of one of his colleagues who lived in Australia. If I didn't hear what Blaise said, they might have had Neville by now." Ginny's voice came out laced in pride.

"You know, Malfoy just offered me the same...situation." Hermione informed.

"And what did you say?" Ginny asked, seemingly not surprised by what Hermione just said.

"Seriously Ginny? Isn't the answer obvious? I declined of course." Hermione answered.

"Well, whatever your decision is, I want you to know I fully support you. " Ginny patted Hermione's shoulder. "But if you're going to leave make it soon because you've become some sort of a...prize. A lot of people are determined on finding you." she advised.

"I know, I'll try to leave England as soon as I could." Hermione nodded.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Ginny asked eagerly.

"Well, I really need a wand." Hermione requested.

"A wand..yes..lots of Muggle-borns got their wands confiscated lately. I'm not sure if I can find you a decent one but I'll do my best." Ginny promised. "What are going to do after that?" she added.

"Same thing I've been doing for years. Try to survive." Hermione smiled briefly at her friend.

"I haven't said congratulations yet!" Hermione squealed when her eyes traced Ginny's hand as she pressed it against her belly.

"Despite everything, I'm really happy about it." Ginny's smile widened. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should say it but she eventually spoke "You know, I believe part of why I did that was because I was really desperate to be a mother. Do you know that feeling?"  
>Hermione's smile faltered, she did. She most definitely did know what wanting to be a mother felt like. She always had that dream and although it became impossible by every day, she never stopped thinking about it.<p>

"I know. I'd love to be one myself. But not a Death Eater's mother." Hermione shook her head.

"Oh I won't be one. I won't raise a Death Eater. I will raise a future member of the Order." Ginny looked at Hermione with determined eyes.  
>"I really feel like I'm doing something at last. I've been idle for too long, doing absolutely nothing to help the order. Now with that new security I'm having, I'm much more useful for them. I don't think I've ever felt so optimistic since Harry had died." Ginny's smile faded at the memory of Harry, but she hid it quickly.<p>

"Anyway, Malfoy told me he found you in Australia, were you seeing your parents?"

"Yes, I barely saw them but they seemed happy and that was good enough."

"And what have you been doing all those years?"

Hours had passed before Hermione was done recounting her unfortunate adventures in several countries. When she was finally done, Ginny excused herself saying she needed to see her dad and then get some rest. They said their goodbyes and Ginny pleaded with her not to leave without telling her where she was going and Hermione promised she would. Whether or not she could be able to keep her promise was still unknown to Hermione.  
>Her head felt like it had been set on fire. It was crowded with thoughts, conflicting and persistent ones. She was being pestered by her own thoughts and desperately needed a moment of peace. She ran back to the room before Malfoy could notice, entered the adjoined bathroom and closed the door behind her.<p>

She watched the water flow as she deftly took off her clothes. When she stepped into the the bathtub she submerged her head under the water for as long as she could. Desperately, she willed all of Ginny's words out of her head as they kept echoing in it repeatedly.  
>A sharp knock on the door followed by another one snapped Hermione out of her trance. She looked at her fingers and they were wrinkled and she couldn't tell how long had she been napping there.<p>

Hermione put on a bathrobe and opened the door to find Malfoy.

"I was starting to seriously consider bursting the door open" Draco admitted.

"Of course you were! How dare I not answer the door the minute you knock?" Hermione scowled at him.

"This was the tenth time I knock that door." Draco informed dryly.

"I didn't hear you." Hermione dismissed.

"I figured that out." he twisted his mouth at her sardonically "Ginevra stayed for quite a while." he remarked.

"We apologize for abusing your hospitality." Hermione gave him a fake smile.

"Apology accepted." he smirked at her.

"I suppose you're leaving now?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Umm..I don't think so." Hermione mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" Draco cocked his head slightly forward.

"That..offer you made...I'm taking it." Hermione raised her chin up, crossing her arms across her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: First I'd like to thank you all for your awesome reviews, I keep reading them over and over again. Second, I'm sorry if this chapter came a bit too late for your liking but I had to rewrite it. This is officially my first chapter of sexual nature so I'll just sit in a corner and cross my fingers hoping that you guys like it. **

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><p>Draco narrowed his eyes on Hermione, he studied her intently for a while before speaking.<p>

"What are you playing at, Granger?" He quirked a suspicious eyebrow at her.

"There are no games. You made me an offer and I took it." Hermione replied simply.

"Yes, but if my memory doesn't betray me, I think you have already said death was more appealing to you than accepting it." he said.

"I changed my mind." she shrugged.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well..I decided that I don't want to live on the run anymore. I could use some rest. And I already told you I do want to be a mother." Hermione explained. She looked away and tried to steal a deep breath away from Malfoy's intense gaze.

Hermione fought to maintain her indifferent attitude. The inner turmoil she had been going through ever since she had talked to Ginny was proving hard to hide.  
>She had taken part in the war when she was younger, knowing that she was putting everything she had on stake. When they lost it, she consequently lost everything she had. Some of her most basic rights were taken away from her. Even going back to live with her parents wasn't an option and more than anything she longed to hug her mother.<p>

She had spent the past years avoiding being captured. Every once in a while she would hear news about other insurgents, she heard people talk about her sometimes, saying she was one of the leaders of the insurgents. But Hermione knew she was doing absolutely nothing to be one of them. She had met Dean Thomas around two years ago in a forest in Scotland. He was being chased, she did her best to help him and got injured in the process but he managed to escape. She stayed in that forest for weeks, hoping that he would come back but he never did and she didn't know whether they found him again or not, eventually she left.  
>But aside from that single incident, Hermione wasn't able to assist her friends any further.<p>

Then she saw Ginny, heard the pride in her voice as she recounted how she was the reason behind the failure of Neville's capture attempt. She saw the excited gleam in her eyes and realized that it had been years since she herself felt any of those feelings. She was desperate to have that back, she wanted to fight again even if the fighting this time didn't include duels. Why offer herself as an easy prey to Voldemort when she can still fight him? If Ginny, George, Dean, Luna and Neville were all doing it among others, then why shouldn't she fight? If all those people still believed in the cause they once battled for, didn't she owe it to them, to herself, and to those of them who died for it, to at least try her best?  
>A flame of hope made its way to Hermione's heart for the first time in years and she hung onto it tightly. She was going to fight Voldemort, from within his own den.<p>

A hand waved at Hermione's face, snapping her out of her deep thought.

"What?" she frowned briefly.

"Have you even been listening to me?" Draco demanded. Hermione shook her head in response.

"I said you were lying, and I don't believe a word of what you just said." Draco challenged. "But that's alright; I'll figure out your reasons later on." he shrugged.

"So we have an agreement then?" Hermione asked.

"I guess." Draco replied, eyeing her with uncertainty.

"Shouldn't we..umm..come with some..guidelines. Like, what are we going to do?" Hermione sat down on a chair, clutching her bathrobe tightly.

"Well..honestly, I didn't expect you to agree so I didn't give it much thought." Draco admitted.

"I did, so maybe you should start thinking in the light of recent events." Hermione advised dryly.

"Okay, for starters you can't let people see you until you're pregnant. It's supposed to be an accident." Draco said "Something along the lines of, I was on one of my missions and I found you. It was a one night stand and you ran away before I realized it. Then you suddenly showed up saying you were pregnant." he looked like he was making up the story as he spoke.

"Oh what a brilliant idea! I'm sure you-know-who will be very proud of you when he knows you found me and instead of bringing me back to him you decided to indulge yourself in some fantasy instead!" Hermione scoffed.

Draco frowned at her, he wanted to argue but he realized she had a point. "Polyjuice potion!" he said suddenly.

"What?" Hermione frowned at him.

"We'll say you had Polyjuice potion and disguised as some random woman. I passed by an inn, you were there and when you saw me you panicked. You had Polyjuice potion with you for emergencies and this was one. Then..." Draco was so absorbed in creating his story, when he looked at Hermione she was gaping at him.  
>"<em>What?<em>" he frowned at her.

"Your talent at weaving lies so easily is...scary." she grimaced at him, not trying to hide the disdain in her voice.

"My _talent_ is is what's going to provide us with a decent story; the Dark lord isn't stupid." he informed dryly.

"Spare me a session of singing your lord's praises, please. I might throw up." Hermione twisted her mouth in disgust.

"Stating the obvious is hardly considered singing praises, Granger." Draco remarked impatiently.

Less than an hour had passed before Draco and Hermione finally reached an agreement. She didn't like Draco's story one bit and found it demeaning, but convincing nonetheless. She had been lengthening their conversation as much as possible to avoid what they have been dancing around for quite a while.

"Alright_" Hermione said as she stood up "_let's get this over with." she took a deep breath before she started fiddling with the knot of her bathrobe with shaky fingers.

Draco's hand covered hers instantly. "What are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I just told you." Hermione cleared her throat. "The sooner we're done with this, the better." she added.

"Get it over with..the sooner the better...do you really have to sound so eager?" he scoffed.

"I don't thi.." Hermione started to object but Draco interrupted her.

"This_" he hissed "_is exactly the sort of attitude that's guaranteed to send a man running out of your bedroom in the blink of an eye."

"_Come on_! Be mature about it!" Hermione huffed "Twenty one days of waiting are long enough, so I want them to start as soon as possible." she added.

Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger "Why are you so determined on making the worst out of this situation?" he sighed in frustration.

"You're overreacting, Malfoy. I really can't see why you're making a big deal out of this." Hermione shrugged "We are two mature adults who have a mutual goal and there's only one way to achieve it so..." Hermione went on with her eloquent speech.

"Will you _stop_ talking like that!" Draco fumed at her.

"Like what?" Hermione frowned at him.

"Like you're lecturing a group of students! This should be 'two consenting adults'" he corrected her. "And lying submissively on bed, pretending to be the coerced virgin doesn't really count as consent." he smirked.

"What do you expect me to do, Malfoy? Seduce you?" she scoffed.

"You can't seduce anybody even if your life depended on it." he smirked at her. "What I'm saying is, Granger, rape was never a fancy of mine. So if you have a thing for it, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." he added impassively before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Hermione had never been so tempted to inflict physical harm on Malfoy before. She hated how non of this seemed to affect him the way it was affecting her. For him it was all going according to his plan and for somebody with the morals of an alley cat like Malfoy it was hard to expect him to understand her reluctance.  
>Not sure if she could bear his company again anytime soon, Hermione decided to spend the rest of the day in the room. Yet, the mere fact that this room was his was irritating her. She could smell his scent on the bed and it suffocated her.<br>The night had fallen when she heard a knock at the door. Hermione opened expecting Idgy again since she seemed responsible for her, bringing her meals and cleaning her clothes for her. Instead, Malfoy was once more standing by the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"That's a first." Hermione smirked at him.

"I'm not usually in the habit of asking for permission to enter my own room." he said dryly.

Hermione noticed that he wasn't dressed as formal as usually did. Even at school he looked too immaculate for a young boy. His choice of colors was as dark as ever, though, a grey t-shirt paired with a pair of black trousers; colors were definitely not his strength point.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked directly, too exhausted to try and gauge Malfoy's intentions.

"I want to talk to you;_" he shrugged "_last time we did it didn't end up well." he added.

"It didn't because you were being childish." Hermione frowned at him.

"I understand that you might be unnerved by the whole situation, so maybe we should talk about it more. Like, tell me what's worrying you." he sat on a chair, crossing his legs.

"What's worrying me!" Hermione scoffed "What's not to worry about? I don't trust you one bit. I'm trapped here with very little options. You're using me for some plan of yours. And unlike you, Malfoy, I have morals that make it hard for me to have random sex!" Hermione fired one reason after the other at him.

"First, you did have a choice and you made one. Second, we're both using each other for our own reasons so don't victimize yourself; it really doesn't suit you." Draco replied calmly. "And please do tell me about those morals of yours that made you offer yourself hours ago like a human sacrifice about to be thrown into an erupting volcano." he twisted his mouth at her.

Hermione wanted to say something back but she was too disoriented by the whole situation that she needed a moment of peace to re-arrange her thoughts. She turned her back to him and stared out of the window.

"You think too much." Draco said quietly. She hadn't realized he had moved until he was standing right behind her.

"Even if I wanted to turn off my mind, every survival instinct in me would scream otherwise." Hermione admitted

"I didn't say you should turn it off. I'm just suggesting that you slow it down." Draco corrected

"Why should I?" she asked

"So you'd stop worrying about every single detail." he replied

"I have to. This is not just your promotion or your commitment issues or even my life we're talking about. We're involving a third person in this. A child, who has absolutely no choice over who his parents will be. Do you actually think you'd be a good father? I very much doubt it." she looked at him with challenging eyes.

"How can you judge such a thing when you don't even know me?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"I know enough, your..job alone is enough evidence." she lifted her chin up.

"But what if that's the point? What if my job as you refer to it and my upbringing are exactly the reason why I would be a good father. I've seen enough mistakes that I don't plan on repeating." Draco reasoned with her.

"It could be,but the question is, can I trust you enough to believe what you just said? My answer is no." she shook her head at him.

"What should I do to prove your answer is wrong?" his brows furrowed in frustration

"Nothing in particular, time will show your true colors." she shrugged.

"Alright, so time is responsible for that part. Now to the random sex part." he inclined his head to the right.

Hermione blinked at Malfoy's words, saying it was one thing, hearing it from him was another.

"I really can't see why you're making a big deal out of this." she huffed

"Because it _is_ big. Are you actually trying to tell me that you prefer a brief rape-like session than the real thing?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

Hermione wished if he would take a couple of steps back. He was standing too close for her comfort and talking to him about such a subject made the space between them seem a lot less than it originally was. She wanted to move away or push him back but she couldn't let him see that she was uncomfortable with this; if she did, he would use it against her.

"That's not what I'm saying." Hermione mumbled.

"Then it's settled, you just have a problem with the randomness part, we could fix that."

Hermione looked at him in confusion. As if hearing her recent thoughts, he acted exactly against them, stepping even closer to her. "Just let me...know you." his statement was something between an order and a plead.

"I don't think it's nece.." Hermione cleared her throat and started to speak.

"Afraid, Granger?" he smirked at her.

"What? Of what?" Hermione scowled at him

"Of actually liking it." he raised a challenging eyebrow at her.

"That's not even.." Hermione words were lost in Draco's kiss. He pressed his lips against hers, the tip of his tongue cajoling her pursed lips into compliance. When she finally gave into the pressure, a jolt of electricity shot into Hermione's brain as Draco's tongue chased hers.  
>He tilted his head further to one side as his hand cupped the nape of Hermione's neck.<br>He was barely aware of his other hand digging marks into her waist through the flimsy fabric of her shirt. When the kiss was eventually over, they were both gasping for air.

Draco looked at Hermione for a moment, taking her hand, he led her back to the bed. She stood by the bed staring at him with wide eyes and Draco pushed her back gently. She sat on the bed for a minute before moving up and resting her head at the pillow.  
>He deftly got rid of his shoes, followed by his socks before climbing into bed. He lay on his side, bracing himself on his forearm.<p>

Draco noticed that Hermione had stiffened, her parted lips once again pursed. He reached for the side of her neck, his thumb tracing one throbbing vein.

"Relax." he advised, bending his head down and trapping her lower lip between his teeth.

"I just want to_" he murmured against her lips "_explore." he whispered as he moved his lips to her ear. Hermione could feel his lips curving against her neck into the familiar smirk.

He spent quite a while pressing brief kisses along her neck, her forehead and her jawline, then some less brief ones on her lips. He touched her nose with tip of his finger before replacing the latter with his lips.  
>Hermione shuddered and Draco looked down at her "You like this?" he asked. Repeating his action, he smiled when Hermione shuddered once more.<p>

Hermione wanted to fight it, to pretend non of this was affecting her but she was fighting for a lost cause. She pressed her hand against Draco's chest in what started as an attempt to push him off. But his body felt warm and her hand splayed over his chest looked so right. She moved her hand further down and slid it beneath his t-shirt.

The gesture couldn't have come fast enough for Draco, the moment he felt Hermione's hand move against his stomach, he pushed himself up and slid his t-shirt over his head, throwing it carelessly to the floor.  
>Hermione's gaze traveled from the hem of his trousers and all the way up to his throat. She saw it move as he swallowed hard and she looked up to find him staring at her intently.<br>He bent down once more, his tongue sliding along Hermiones throat.

"You have a sensitive spot_" he murmured as he bit gently at the hollow of her throat "_right here" he added when Hermione let out a soft moan.

He moved away from her enough to see her clearly. He moved his hand to the first button of her shirt and undid it then he looked up at her, waiting for her reaction. Hermione bit her lower lip, letting out a small sigh that gave Draco all the confirmation he needed. With deft fingers, he undid the rest of her buttons.  
>He placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her up, she took off the shirt and held it against her chest. Draco moved closer to kiss her, pushing her back to the bed as he did. His hand slid between them, pulling the shirt out of Hermione's hands and sending it to follow his. He slipped his hand behind her back, fiddling with the clasp of her bra as he left a trail of kisses along her shoulders.<p>

Draco frowned in frustration as the clasp kept defying him, but Hermione raised herself up briefly, allowing him better access to it. He almost let out a cheer of triumph when he finally got rid of the wretched bra. Draco took a deep breath as he watched the new view intently.

Hermione could feel her breasts tightening under Draco's gaze. He watched her for too long, his gaze lingered on her breasts and she started to become self-conscious. She moved her arm to cover herself up but Draco caught it, raising it to his mouth, he pressed his lips against her wrist. He let go of her hand and Hermione nearly let it fall to her side.

He bent his head down to her stomach, burning random kisses allover it, his tongue traced her belly button. Then he moved up, pressing his lips gently over one soft mound while his hand kneaded the other. Hermione gasped at the new attention she was receiving, Draco's soft kisses turned into bites. He flicked the tip of his tongue over one hard peak then sucked it in before his teeth grazed the other.  
>It felt like every inch of her body was being marked by him, when her breasts couldn't take anymore teasing, her moans started to get louder. Draco raised himself up once more, fiddling with the button of her jeans. This time he didn't wait for her assurance, he undid the zip and pulled the trousers along with her underwear down her legs with one swift movement.<p>

Draco sat upright, he took two pillows and placed them next to Hermione's head. He pulled her up and pushed her back against the pillows. She looked at him, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I want you to watch" his eyes gleamed mischievously.

Before Hermione could ask what he meant, she got her answer. Draco moved down, much further down. He took hold of one ankle, sliding it up the bed, before doing the same to the other one. With both knees bent Hermione watched, mesmerized, as Draco grinned at her before bending his head down.  
>She felt his lips pressing against her then a wave of electricity ran through her as she felt his tongue exploring her so intimately. It paced her soft folds back and forth, building up the anticipation an extra notch with every glide. Hermione ran her fingers through Draco's hair, pushing him down against her.<p>

Draco felt Hermione's hand glide through his hair, tugging at it almost painfully then she started pulling him into her. His teeth grazed her sensitive bud lightly, earning him a loud groan from her. He reveled in the way she tasted as his tongue coaxed her into surrender.  
>He raised his head slightly to catch his breath and looked up at her to find her staring at him, her pupils dilated and her lips slightly parted, her chest rose and fell with every gasp of air she took.<p>

Her body started writhing and Draco knew she was close, he intensified the attention he was giving her, putting his lips, his tongue and even his teeth into work as his fingers dug into her thighs.  
>Hermione felt like she could combust if Draco kept that pace for any longer. Then she felt it, her stomach tightened as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, she arched her back and let out a guttural groan. It felt like she was in a trance, her mind was numb, her vision blurred and she could feel every cell of her body throbbing.<p>

She felt Draco's hand skim against her stomach, lingering on her breasts then his lips covered hers. She could taste herself on his lips then he started to raise his head, she wanted to cup the nape of his neck and pull him back but her muscles were too loose to move.

Hermione felt the bed move, she blinked repeatedly to clear her vision, she looked next to her and saw Draco getting out of bed.

"What?" she mumbled as a confused frown furrowed her brows. Draco walked around the bed and bent his head and pressed his lips against the tip of her nose.

"Goodnight" he whispered before turning around, not caring to retrieve his t-shirt or his shoes he closed the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

It took Hermione some time to fully open her eyes and take in her sunlit surroundings. She recalled last night's events and fury started to slowly crawl over her. She got off the bed, it took her a moment to balance herself on uncooperative legs. She scanned the room, looking for her clothes until she found them piled on the floor. She picked them up hastily trying to ignore the grey t-shirt that lay next to them.

As she headed to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror that sat in a corner of the room. She stepped closer to the mirror and studied her reflection. Her hair was flying everywhere and she realized it was the first time for her to let it down in a long while. She usually wore it in a pony tail, a bun or at very rare occasions when she had time, she braided it. Anything that stopped it from looking the way it looked now was good enough for her.

She bit her lower lip inattentively but instantly winced and let go of it. She raised her hand and traced her lips with her fingers, inspecting them for any possible bruises but they were only too tender. The only bruises on her were the ones Malfoy's fingers had left on her thighs. Hermione angled her leg slightly to get a better look at them. It felt like she was marked by Malfoy and it enraged her more than anything that happened last night.

She took a long shower, before trying to tame her hair as much as possible. She put on her crumpled shirt and let out a deep groan of annoyance when she smelled Malfoy's scent on it, her jeans followed. She went out of the bathroom and picked up the shoes and t-shirt he had carelessly scattered allover the floor. Not bothering to find her own shoes, Hermione descended the stairs barefoot.

She found him in the dinning room, having breakfast so calmly like he didn't have a care in the world. He looked up at her and smiled "Good morni..." he started to say, but was interrupted by one of his shoes flying at him. He ducked his head and the shoe flew right above it. He stood up wide-eyed with shock and Hermione threw the other shoe at him, he moved out of its way and it missed him by a few inches.  
>He was walking towards Hermione as she was stomping towards him. She threw the t-shirt at his face and he caught it only to throw it away again.<p>

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed at her.

"_Me!_" she scoffed "I should be the one who's asking that question, Malfoy." she glared at him.

"Nothing's wrong with me. At least nothing was, a minute ago!" he stared at her incredelously. "What's your problem?" he asked.

"My problem can be summed up in '_you'_. What do you think you're doing?" Hermione fumed at him.

"I really wasn't doing anything. I didn't know the fact that I was peacefully having breakfast could upset you so much." his brows drew together in confusion.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." she narrowed her eyes on him.

"Then I have no idea what you're talking about." he shrugged.

"Care to explain what happened last night?" Hermione demanded.

A knowing gleam flashed through his eyes briefly before he spoke "Last night was pretty eventful, be specific." he feigned innocence.

"Malfoy stop playing games!" she barked at him. "I'm talking about your...your...your molestation." she stammered.

"My _what_?" Draco gave a short harsh laugh. "_My molestation_?" he grabbed Hermione's arm and slammed her against him. She tried to free her arm from his grip and when she failed she punched his shoulder with all the force in her.

"Let go of me." she ordered.

"No, no_" he shook his head "_let's first recount the molestation part." his voice was laced in cold fury.

"If my memory doesn't betray me, you seemed to _thoroughly_ enjoy it." he smiled cruelly at her.

"Shut up." Hermione glared at him

"_However_, my favorite part was where you molested me back." he smirked at her.

"Malfoy I swear if you don't shut up..." she started to say before he interrupted her.

"Because, you see, I'm pretty sure the hand snaking beneath my t-shirt wasn't mine." he raised a mocking eyebrow at her.

"My arm" Hermione winced and Draco realized he was tightening his grip on her arm, when he heard her pained voice he instantly let go of it.

"So don't you dare pretend that you were forced at any point of this." the sarcasm in his voice was gone, replaced with cold seriousness. He turned around and left the room, Hermione followed expecting him to climb the stairs back to his room, but instead he was walking towards the manor's door.

"Where are you going?" She asked

"I happen to have a job." Draco remarked dryly "Let's hope I don't molest any of the women I work with." he twisted his mouth in disgust.

"I still haven't finished talking to you." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"Too bad; I don't think I'd fancy talking to you anytime soon." he dismissed her then walked out of the door before she had a chance to say anything else.

Hermione retired to Malfoy's room, having absolutely nothing else to do, she spent her time over-thinking the matters. So maybe calling what happened last night molestation wasn't exactly accurate. She cursed herself for letting Malfoy digress their conversation from the main subject which was why he did it into what it should be called.

She needed to make some rules and make them clear for him. It was not going to be the most comfortable conversation for her but they had to have it sooner or later. Barely two hours had passed when she heard Malfoy's voice downstairs. She opened the door and poked her head out to listen, he seemed to be talking to one of the house elves, when she was sure nobody was with him she went downstairs.

"You have the most luxurious job ever! It had been less than two hours and you're already back." Hermione mused

"Actually I came back early for you. I realized you're not familiar with the manor yet and being confined to one room can be very boring." he said

"How considerate of you!" she exclaimed with fake surprise.

"I know, right! Molesting women by night, caring for their welfare by day. Such a contradictory character, don't you think?" he smirked at her.

"You_ are_ a very contradictory character." Hermione confirmed matter-of-factly

"Let me show you around." he offered, ignoring her last remark.

Hermione followed Malfoy as he showed her room after room, explaining the function of each one. _Too many rooms for such a small family_, she thought.

"This room is my mother's." he said as he stood in front of the closed door. "She keeps it closed and I'd like to keep it that way." he added.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked as she realized she knew nothing about his parents who seemed to no longer inhabit the manor.

"She's living in another house, a smaller one. In the outskirts of London." he informed "She lived with me for a while after my father's death but..I think she couldn't put up with staying here anymore. I visit her regularly."

"Your father died?" Hermione frowned "How?" she asked.

"Shortly after the war he was sent on a mission that he never came back from." Draco replied nodded silently in response, she knew she should've said something about being sorry for his loss but she couldn't bring herself to feel any sorrow over Lucius Malfoy.

After a couple of other bedrooms including the one Malfoy currently occupied, they reached his original bedroom.

"And finally this is my bedroom, at least it used to be." he said.

"You can have it back, I can stay in any other room." Hermione offered.

"No, it's okay." he shrugged. "I could've suggested sharing it but my position as an established molester could be an obstacle." he smirked at her.

"Will you _stop_ bringing that up!" Hermione huffed in frustration.

"No." he replied simply. "Anyway, there's something for you in there." he nodded at the bedroom door. Hermione looked at him in confusion for a minute before opening the door to find several bags on the bed.

"What are these?" she asked.

"Some clothes for you, your shirt looks like it had seen better days." he glanced over the creased shirt.

"That's because you carelessly threw it on the floor like it was some rag." Hermione scowled at him.

"Oh you mean after I unbuttoned it and you took it off?" he raised his eyebrow at her "You didn't look coerced to me when you did that." he twisted his mouth sardonically.

Hermione glared at him before turning around and opening the bags one by one, checking their contents. A frown drew her brows together and it deepened with every bag she opened. She displayed some of the items on the bed, her eyes traveling between them and Malfoy who stood watching her with a blank expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.

"These are all men's clothes!" Hermione noted in confusion.

"Well, I thought you were dressed as one." he studdied her briefly rom head to toe "Plus, it's to keep you safe from any future molestation attempts on my side. " he grinned at her impishly before turning around and leaving the room.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come back here!" Hermione called after Draco.

"Need help trying them on?" Draco asked simply. Leaning against the open door.

"When you're rude, nobody outdoes you!" she scoffed.

"I'll take that as a compliment." he replied haughtily.

"It wasn't." she narrowed her eyes on him "But that's not important, we need to talk." she added.

"Obviously." he replied indifferently "But I have more important things to do now, we can talk when I'm back." he added before descending the stairs and leaving the manor.

Draco cursed himself inwardly. The men's clothes move was completely uncalled for, but so was her attitude this morning. Had anybody else thrown his own shoes at him, he would've rendered him motionless before he could reach for the other one. She had such a nerve! Draco huffed. Part of him panicked when he heard her describe what happened as molestation.  
>For a minute he started to think that he was imagining things and that last night's events happened differently than he remembered them.<p>

He was taking one turn after the other, going through narrow filthy alleys until he finally reached his destination. A tiny shop stood at the end of the alley, it looked as shady as its owner. Draco glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching him then he slipped through the door. Even for a Death Eater, dealing with somebody as disreputable as Fergus MacGregor was suspicious.

As Draco entered the shop, Fergus jumped off his chair and stood up, watching Draco closely with his head slightly bent down. The man was old and frail, with shoulder-length wavy white hair and an equally white mustache.

"Did you get it?" Draco demanded

"Y..yes, sir." the man nodded eagerly. "But I have to say it's a very powerful potion..you add one drop to your drink and it's enough for thirty days." he informed.

"Who said it was for me?" Draco narrowed his eyes at the man.

"I..don..didn't know. I'm sorry, sir." the man stammered.

"Where is it?" Draco asked. The man disappeared into a small room and emerged again shortly, holding a tiny flask in shaky hands. Draco snatched the flask from the man and inspected it, it was filled with some light blue liquid '**Sterilescere**' was written on the flask in gold.

"I must warn you sir_" the man said hesitantly "_after the thirty days are over, you have to wait for seven days to drink the potion again...otherwise the effect of the potion..cou...could become permanent." he explained.

"You already said that before." Draco said impatiently.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you before, have I, MacGregor?" Draco demanded in what seemed to be a threat, his eyebrow raised at the old man.

"No, no, sir..never." the man shook his head quickly.

"Good." Draco nodded, reaching for his pocket, he took out a small bag full of Galleons and threw it at a near table. Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the shop.

He toyed with the flask in his hand for a while before tucking it safely in his pocket. This potion was never part of his plan, but he seemed to be improvising ever since Hermione agreed to his bargain.  
>He didn't want a child so soon. He knew it was a long journey that he had to make before she could actually love him. But at least he wanted some time where he could improve his image in her mind. Make her view him as somebody worthy of having that baby...and much more.<p>

She had a hidden reason behind accepting his offer, of that he was sure. Yet, he still couldn't figure out that reason. The only thing he was positive of was how impossible it was for Hermione to simply stop fighting and give into fait accompli.

So all he had to do now was buy himself more time and since she was so determined on trying for a baby as soon as possible, it left him with no other option than to try with her. Only he had to ensure that they would fail for the first couple of times. Draco smirked in satisfaction.

He apparated back to the manor. Walking through the door, he noticed the living room was lit. He opened the door slightly and saw Hermione curled on one of the armchairs her nose poked into a book in a very familiar scene.

"I can't help but wonder how did you survive on the run without your precious books." Draco remarked as he entered the room and Hermione's head shot up in his direction.

"I had some books with me, but I lost most of them." she said.

"I don't think there's possibly any book the Wizarding world had known that's not in our library." he said "My father really liked to show it off." he added almost ruefully.

"I know, I've spent some time searching it." she confirmed "Anyway, let's talk." she added, taking a deep breath as she set the book aside and sat upright in her chair. Draco looked at her expectantly as he sat on the opposite chair.

"About last night..I...I might have used the..umm..the wrong term." she stammered.

"_Might?_" Draco shook his head in disbelief.

"Will you let me finish!" Hermione said impatiently. Draco nodded in response.

"I am not objecting to the act itself; it was inevitable anyway." Hermione said, exerting extra effort to make her tone sound casual. "I find the...the abrupt stop very impractical, though." she added, swallowing hard.

"Impractical?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her. "You have an outstanding talent at turning something as exciting as sex into the most dull subject ever." he twisted his mouth at her in disapproval.

Hermione ignored his remark. "I'm just saying that there is a reason behind it, a mutual goal. And I don't think what happened last night serves that goal in any way." she explained as she stood up and started pacing the room.

Draco looked at Hermione for too long. He hated the miss prim and proper attitude she was maintaining and was so tempted to kiss her out of it. Complicating things was definitely her strength point.

"You know, people have sex for reasons other than pregnancy." he informed.

"People, but not us." she corrected.

"Why not?" he asked.

"We have a..special situation." she replied.

"Yes, but if we're having a child together and eventually getting married, don't you think sex is going to be fundamental in our relationship?" he reasoned with her.

"Look_" Hermione raised her hand in a motion to stop him from speaking any further. Her stomach convulsed with tension at the image his words formed in her head. "_for once I don't want to plan so far ahead. Can we please go through this step by step?" she implored.

Draco was getting more and more fed up with the space between them. He stood up and moved towards her, she stepped back and he stopped in his tracks. Her frame tensed and she swallowed visibly.

He reached for her wrist and pulled her closer. "You _desperately_ need to relax." he advised quietly, his thumb rubbing her palm in circular motions. Hermione nodded faintly in response.

"I'm willing to go at whatever pace you set." Draco said. "But I don't think I can keep up with the unsteady one you're maintaining now." he added.

"This..this whole situation..it's not exactly a picnic for me." Hermione fought to produce a decent sentence; she was too distracted by the man standing in front of her.

"It's not remotely easy for me either. It's a great risk to keep you here; I always have to worry about what would happen if I had a guest and you suddenly decided to wander around the manor." he admitted. "If anybody saw you here, we'll both be dead in the blink of an eye, and that's the best case scenario." Draco flinched at the other scenarios that came up in his mind.

"I'll be careful." Hermione assured. Draco nodded in acknowledgment.

"And then there's dealing with you." he said. "You're not an easy person to handle, in case you haven't noticed." a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I could say the same about you." Hermione retorted.

"Yes, but at least I'm just one person." he contradicted. "You on the other hand, have at least two or three other people living in your head." he smiled in amusement.

"Two or three?" she repeated in confusion.

"Well, there's the proper one who talks like something between a professor and a politician." he said "And there's the barking mad one who literally throws stuff around." he smirked at her.

"_Then__" Draco slightly inclined his head to one side "_there's that tiny feeble one who made a brief appearance last night." he said, bending his head down, he stopped with his lips inches away from Hermione's.

He gazed at her for an agonizing moment, waiting for any objection on her side. She let out a small sigh and her hand closed over his thumb. Her lips, cold with anxiety collided with warmer ones. No persuasion was needed this time as her lips parted instantly for him.  
>He freed his thumb from her grip, gliding his hand along her arm and up to her neck. The pad of his thumb brushed her cheek lightly as he angled her head further to one side. He forced his eyes open to look at her and a sense of satisfaction washed over him as he saw her eyes closed.<p>

When the kiss have lasted too long for him to breath properly, he broke it slowly. His ego puffed up his chest as Hermione clutched the lapel of his robe for support. He moved his hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer.

"Yes, that's her." he murmured against her ear.

"_However__" he said, lifting her chin up so she could look up at him "_I think she's being bullied by the other two. And I feel personally obligated to empower her." he went on, a mischievous smile curved his mouth.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I apologize if this chapter came later than usual. I have another active story, one that I'm preparing for and one that I've taken down and am currently editing. Plus real life demands, so it's sort of hectic. I'm currently working on the new chapter so don't worry, the next update won't take long. :)**

**Also, here's a shoutout to my sincere reviewer and virtual friend ForensicGeek2! xoxo**

* * *

><p>"Sterilescere, Draco?" Blaise asked incredulously.<p>

"Your voice isn't loud enough, Blaise. I'm sure there are a couple of people at the end of the hall who can't hear you properly." Draco scowled at him.

"Muffliato" Blaise muttered impatiently, pointing his wand at the closed door.

"Why not just a protective spell?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know, Blaise_" Draco shrugged "_she might find it a bit odd if I used a protective spell when we're supposed to be trying for a baby, don't you think?" he smirked at him.

Blaise muttered an insult under his breath before speaking "Why not a contraceptive potion, then?"

"Too risky." Draco replied "For starters, I can't be sure that I can make her drink it every time. What if she just doesn't feel like drinking anything at all? Do I force her to? It would be too suspicious; she's not stupid." he explained.

Draco had spent enough time considering his options. He refrained from explaining the sort of physical chemistry he had with Hermione to Blaise. The idea of planning ahead every time they had sex seemed absurd for Draco. Too much calculations and practicality for something that was supposed to be spontaneous.  
>Then came the problem of depending on house elves to add the potion to her drink. What if they added too much? It could leave a permanent effect on her. Of course Sterilescere was a dangerous potion to deal with, but it was his plan and if somebody had to take risks then it was him.<p>

"I still think you shouldn't use it twice." Blaise insisted "One dose should give you enough time, or have you lost your touch?" he snickered

Draco barley stopped himself from biting the first offensive retort that came to his mind. "How are things going with your flambeau?" he asked.

"You really need to stop calling her that." Blaise said with a grimace.

"Well, she got..big after the pregnancy so she's starting to look like an inverted triangle." Draco said, thoughtfully tilting his head to one side.

"Draco..." Blaise warned quietly.

"Her hair looks like a flame so when you put the images together she does look like a flambeau." Draco continued, ignoring his friend's warning.

"_Dracooo.._" Blaise threatened slowly.

"And her fiery attitude only enhances the metaphor." Draco smiled in amusement. His smile faded as the desk he was resting his hands on flew across the room. He glared at Blaise who looked back at him coldly.

"You should be thankful I never told her about your...metaphor." Blaise said, his voice laced in censure.

"I am utterly petrified." Draco mocked.

"You should be. Pregnant women are scary. I'd pick hunting down a Hungarian Horntail over dealing with a livid Ginny anytime of the day." Blaise admitted.

"Is it really that bad?" Draco asked seriously.

"Well..the Horntail was obviously an exaggeration." Blaise said "But sometimes it isn't. I mean, with a dragon you know what to expect. With Ginny, you never do."

"I thought by now you'd know her better." Draco said. "Obviously, I'm not the one who lost his touch." Draco gave a victorious laugh as he crossed his legs.

"I thought so too. But her mood sways from one extreme to the other in the blink of an eye." Blaise sighed in frustration, ignoring Draco's provocative remark.

He busied himself with lifting the desk up and returning it back in front of Draco. Living with Ginny for the past months was an ultimate test to both his patience and his wits. She had been maintaining a defensive attitude for too long, their fights were almost childish.  
>The pregnancy wasn't helping with her mood either. He secretly envied Draco for being able to decide when to become a father rather than have it thrown at him.<p>

He hoped that by now he would be able to get Ginny out of his system. She was everything opposite to his type. A redhead when he preferred blondes. A smart-arse with an opinion on everything when he was perfectly satisfied with dating mere pretty faces who rarely ever posed a mental challenge. But what infuriated and thrilled him the most was her boldness as opposed to the meek shyness he usually sought in women.  
>Nothing about Ginny met Blaise's requirements in a woman except maybe how she looked. Still, he found himself drawn to her like a moth to a flame.<p>

Leaving her wasn't an option anymore for him. He had lived with a long string of step-fathers and he didn't plan on letting the same happen to his child. When he finally comes he'll be raised between two perpetual parents, Blaise thought with a determined look on his face. He glanced up at Draco to see why he was suddenly silent and he saw him closely inspecting a wand, trying different spells with it.

"What's wrong with yours?" Blaise inquired.

"It's for Hermione, not me." Draco replied distractedly as he pointed his wand at the coat stand that stood in the corner of the room. He flicked his wand and the stand transformed into a long snake, taking the same mahogany color as the stand. The snake started gliding towards Draco with an air of hostility. He waved his wand again and restored it to its original state.

"Don't you thinks it's too risky to let her have a wand?" Blaise questioned Draco's decision.

"Probably, but she has to have one sooner or later." Draco replied as he secured the wand carefully inside a wooden box.

"Then maybe you should work on increasing the protection over the Manor." Blaise suggested.

"It's not a prison, Blaise. I'm not holding her captive. She's supposed to be there willingly." Draco said.

"What if she runs away?" Blaise asked.

"Then I'll have a closure." Draco shrugged, feigning indifference.

"Good afternoon, gits." Theodore Nott slammed the door carelessly behind him as he threw himself at the chair opposite to Blaise's.

"Afternoon already?" Draco frowned as he glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall behind him.

"Sooo, Blaise, how's your torch?" Theo grinned at his friend.

"A flambeau, Theo. A flambeau." Draco corrected with a false serious tone as he stood up to leave.

"Fucking prats." Blaise hissed. "Careful not to fall on the stairs like the barmpot that you are and break your neck." he smiled innocently at Draco.

"So I walk through the door and you just jump off your seat to leave? What am I? Your ex?" Theo sneered at Draco.

"No, even my exes aren't that clingy." Draco smirked at Theo.

"Where are you going?" Theo asked.

"Home." Draco replied simply.

"You've been spending too much time at home lately, don't you think?" Theo remarked tentatively.

"And you have a problem with that because..?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow at Theo.

"I think you've stayed single for too long." Theo admitted.

"You're starting to sound like my mother." Blaise remarked with a disgusted grimace.

"I'm serious." Theo frowned at Blaise.

"Yes because we all know how celibate Draco has been." Blaise scoffed.

"That's not what I meant. I meant he should try letting things go further than bed." Theo explained.

"Like..the couch?" Draco cocked his head to one side and looked up.

"Or the dinning table." Blaise suggested

"Or the floor" Draco said.

"Or the kitchen..too much house elves, though." Blaise said thoughtfully.

"Or the broomstick cupboard." Draco added as if he just remembered it.

"The broomstick cupboard!" Blaise repeated with an incredulous laugh.

"The novelty of it could be very refreshing. But I won't recommend it if you're not into confined spaces" Draco said matter-of-factly.

"What sort of people could possibly be _into_ confined spaces?" Theo frowned in bewilderment.

"The world is full of sick people, Theodore." Draco replied dramatically.

Without allowing Theo any further arguments he left the office in long strides. He never had a chance to tell Theo about Hermione. He was away on a mission when Draco found her and when he came back neither of them had time to talk. Yet, he knew he should expect a much more forceful reaction than Blaise's understanding one.

Hermione felt like she was imprisoned in the Malfoy Manor. And the worst part of it was that she had willingly put herself in that situation. She woke up this morning and Draco wasn't in the house. She spent most of the day in the library, navigating through books. Then hunger started poking at her stomach. When she woke up, a house elf prepared breakfast for her but apparently they didn't serve lunch until Draco was back.

She knew she could simply ask any of the house elves to prepare a meal for her but she wasn't comfortable enough around the house to treat it like her own. She didn't even know whether the elves would take orders from her or not.  
>When she finally saw him standing by the door she almost cheered joyfully. He looked at her with a puzzled expression and she realized that she probably looked awkwardly happy.<p>

"Did you have lunch yet?" he asked. Hermione shook her head in response.

"Alright, join me for lunch then." he offered and Hermione mumbeled her approval.

"You were..famished" Draco remarked in amusement as he watched Hermione help herself to a second serving of jacket potato. Hermione chocked on her food and started coughing. He pushed a glass of water into her hand and she drowned it instantly. She held her knife in stabbing position for a minute, looking up at Draco.

"That was rude; I'm sorry." he apologized, fighting back a smile that threatened to provoke Hermione even more.

"I had breakfast really early and haven't eaten anything ever since." she explained

"Why didn't you have lunch earlier?" Draco frowned in confusion.

"I..didn't realize how hungry I was until you came." Hermione tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"I remind you of food?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her quizzically "Well, it's definitely not the sort of hunger I want to evoke in you but it's a good start." he grinned widely as he saw her choke for the second time, her face turning a bright shade of red. He wasn't sure whether it was a result of embarrassment or she was having difficulty breathing.

Hermione raised her hand to her throat. She glanced at the glass to find it empty. Draco followed the direction of her gaze, he reached for her wand and refilled the glass with water. As Hermione drank some water, she couldn't help but think how dependent she was on Draco and it irritated her. She needed at least a fraction of her independence, she needed a wand.

"You said you would get me a wand." Hermione reminded him as she set her plate aside, her appetite suddenly lost.

Draco took out the wooden box from his robe's pocket and placed it in front of Hermione. She opened it and held the wand carefully, instantly feeling it trembling with power. She missed having a wand so much that she felt her eyes glistening with tears. It was only when she held a wand once again that she realized how strong was the bond that formed between a witch and her wand. This wand wasn't hers and it can't fully replace it. But Hermione was determined on making the wand recognize her as her new master even though it felt a bit too powerful in her hands.

She excused herself saying she was going to have a shower and headed back to her room. Draco watched her as she left and he noticed she was still wearing her own clothes. _Well, she could hardly wear the clothes you bought her!_ Draco scolded himself sternly. He went to his mother's room and started searching her clothes, hoping that he could find something suitable.

Hermione showered quickly and put on her bathrobe. She placed some of the clothes Draco had brought on the bed. She started trying to transform them into more suitable clothes. There was a knock on the door and when she told whoever it was to come in, Draco walked into the room.

"Putting the wand to work so soon?" Draco asked as he watched what she was doing.

"The clothes you bought weren't masculine enough for me so I decided to work on that." she said indignantly, lifting her chin up.

"That was a juvenile move." Draco admitted "You don't have to transform them. I don't usually shop for women's clothes but I could ask your friend to buy you some until you can leave the house and buy some on your own."

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded in response.

"You..talk to her?" she seemed to find the idea unbelievable.

"No, but I do talk to Blaise." he replied

"It's alright. It's a good chance for to practice using the new wand." Hermione explained.

"Well..I brought you a night gown but you it looks like you don't need it now." he said, as he put a navy blue night gown on the bed. Hermione grimaced at the thought of wearing something that must have belonged to one of Draco's girlfriends. It felt like if she did, she would be degrading herself into just another one of them.

She decided to ignore the night gown's existance. "I never thanked you for the wand...so, thank you." she said sincerely. For the first time Hermione was feeling purely grateful to Draco regardless of his intentions.

"No problem." Draco smiled briefly "You seem so fond of that bathrobe." he remarked.

"Up till now it's the only thing I feel comfortable wearing aside from my clothes." Hermione shrugged, turning her attention back to the clothes in front of her.

"It doesn't look so comfortable to me." Draco's voice came from behind her. Hermione turned around to face him.

"It is." she insisted, as she clutched the knot that tied the robe around her waist tightly.

"You're being too uptight for somebody who was barking mad at me for not finishing what I started the other night." Draco challenged. He slid his hand through the tight folds of the robe. Hermione shivered when cold hands glided around her waist, resting at the small of her back and pulling her closer.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello! I know I've already rated this story M, but just in case. For those who ignore the rating, this story contains several graphic sex scenes. If that's not your cup of coffee then you simply shouldn't be here.**

**P.S: I love reading your reviews, all sorts of them, and I sincerely wish to keep up with your high expectations. :)**

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><p>Hermione absently bit her lower lip. An action she quickly regretted as it drew Draco's attention to her mouth. He bent his head down and freed her lower lip. Her soft moan was muffled into his mouth.<br>Before she could realize it, Hermione felt the edge of the bed against back of her knees. She lost her balance and almost fell back but Draco's hand pulled her forward. He broke off the kiss and stepped back, pulling his hand away from her back.

"Last time I did this you distorted it into molestation." Draco reminded her, "This time, I want to hear verbal approval first." he added hoarsely.

"You want my..permission?" Hermione asked throatily.

"No_" Draco shook his head, "_your permission is not enough. I want you to ask for it."

"You are taking great pleasure in this, aren't you?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes on Draco.

"In what exactly?" Draco asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

"This! Everything!" Hermione bit, waving her hands around impatiently. "You're enjoying humiliating me." she concluded with a grimace.

"What makes you think I'm trying to humiliate you?"

"Oh nothing, just the fact that you're asking me to beg for...for.."

"I never told you to do so"

"Then how do you explain what you just said?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, he wanted to argue further but knew it was pointless. "Hermione, it really is a lot less complicated than you make it sound." Draco said, "I just kissed you, do you want me to go further?" he demanded simply.

Hermione gaped at Draco, his boldness never failed to render her speechless. She needed a moment to muster a clever reply. If she said no she would only be lengthening her confinement to the Malfoy manor. But telling Malfoy she wanted him also felt too debasing for her. Then there was a tiny carnal part of her that felt a surge of disappointment at the idea of letting that kiss be all.

"Well_" Hermione said in a barely audible voice. She cleared her throat before continuing, "_I made it clear before that the sooner the better, so.."

"Oh enough of that already!" Draco snapped, "I honestly haven't seen a woman as talented as you are at turning off a man." he added with a frustrated grimace.

At this moment, Hermione could swear that if she put every other offense Draco had said to her in one scale pan and that last one on another scale pan, the last one would definitely be heavier. She was smart, of that she was sure. But she was never equally sure about her appearance.  
>She had spent most of her time with two male best friends who rarely ever noticed she was a girl. At the Yule Ball, she wasn't sure whether to be flattered by how everybody seemed astonished by her good looks or offended that people seemed so surprised at the fact that she could be beautiful.<p>

Apparently everybody saw her as that average looking girl who had an insufferable know-it-all attitude. The latter never annoyed her; she was smart and whoever had a problem with that knew exactly where to stick up his opinion. The first, however, always pestered her. She was a girl who appreciated being noticed as one every once in a while. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Draco stomping out of the room. The sound of him slamming the door behind him snapped her out of her thoughts.

She reached for the gown he had placed on the bed. It looked too conservative for the type of women she assumed Malfoy would associate with. She started experimenting with it but the wand wasn't being cooperative. She tried transforming it into a lighter shade of blue but it ended up lime green. After several attempts at changing the color and the cut, she ended up with a dark crimson nightgown.

She put on the nightgown and tied the straps behind her neck. She thought about using her wand to tame her hair but considering how untamed the wand itself was, using it on herself was a risk Hermione wasn't willing to take. After a long while of brushing her hair with little assistance of magic, she was finally content with how she looked.

She studied her reflection in the mirror. Setting out to prove Malfoy wrong was easier said than done. Part of her wanted to take the step they've been dancing around for too long. If she stayed confined to the Manor for any longer she would start losing her sanity. Another more personal part of her wanted to see Malfoy taking back his words. A challenge was posed and she was so determined on winning it.

An impatient "Come in." came from the other side of the door as she knocked on Malfoy's door. She walked into the room with hesitant steps and closed the door behind her. Malfoy was sitting on a chair, holding a glass in his hand with his back to her.

"Yes?" Draco asked curtly without turning around to look at Hermione. He wanted to make their conversation as concise as possible because he was positive whatever she was going to say would only make things worse. Hermione was so determined on reducing the whole matter into a business deal. He could've assumed she was a real ice queen but there were those rare moments where she came to life in his arms and they demolished any doubts of frigidness.

She still didn't speak and Draco suspected that if he turned around he would find her pointing a wand at him. The thought alarmed him and he glanced around him, trying to remember where he had left his wand. She cleared her throat and Draco finally turned around to see what was wrong with her.

"What is it, Granger?" he demanded, his voice trailing off as he turned around. Hermione was clad in dark crimson. Her hair was neatly draped over her shoulders although it still didn't lose it's unruly nature. One hand was clenched in a fist by her side while the other was twisted behind her back, holding the door knob. She was looking down at her bare feet.

"I see you're getting along well with the wand." he remarked huskily as he studied her from head to toe.

"Yes" Hermione mumbled. _Is this the best you can do?_ She scolded herself silently. The sound of Malfoy's voice sent a faint surge of pride through her. A surge that increased greatly when she looked up to see him watching her with wide eyes that were a couple of shades darker than usual.

"So you came here to show off your skill?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Transforming some clothes is barely something to boast about." Hermione replied with a shrug.

"Then you're here to show off the clothes. Not bad. Anything else?" Draco asked, struggling to maintain an indifferent attitude.

"What are you drinking?" Hermione asked suddenly, focusing on the glass in Malfoy's hand as an attempt to distract herself.

"Firewhisky.." Draco's voice sounded perplexed.

He studied Hermione for a long moment, trying to figure out what her plan was. He opened a small cupboard and took out a glass and a graceful looking bottle. He poured her a glass and held it up, silently inviting her to come over and take it. She moved slowly and extended her hand to take the cup but Draco pulled his hand back.

"I think we need to cover some things before you drink." he said, "I really need to know why you're here." his statement came as a plead rather than an order.

"Well..you asked me a question and then..you left before I had the chance to answer." Hermione replied

"No_" Draco shook his head "_I left because I didn't like where your answer was going." he corrected. "And if you plan on repeating it then I strongly recommend that you just leave." he warned.

"I want my glass" Hermione requested, looking at the glass Malfoy was holding tightly.

"No. I don't want another tantrum from your side. This time you'll say I got you drunk." he insisted.

"I won't! I came here by myself, didn't I?" Hermione tried to reason with him.

"Which brings us back to the main point: why?" he repeated his question.

"You asked me if I wanted things to go further but you never said whether or not you wanted to." she said tentatively, tilting her head to one side.

The glasses almost slipped off Draco's hands. He put them on the nearest table with a thud. His resolve not to touch her unless she asked him to, instantly jumped out of the window. His fingers dug into her waist, pulling her closer forcefully. He ground his hips against her stomach and heard her gasp audibly.

"Would you settle for that as an answer?" Draco rasped, his breath warm against Hermione's ear. She could feel a much warmer length pressing into her stomach, giving her all the confirmation she wanted.

"Yes.." Hermione whispered in a barely audible voice.

Draco raised his head up to look at Hermione. She was staring at him with dilated pupils, her lips slightly parted. He knew the right thing to do was pull away and wait for her to voice her approval. But doing this meant putting himself through the risk of having to let her go back to her room when he was too reluctant to do so. He bent his head down once more to kiss her, moving with her towards the bed. He broke off the kiss and let her sit on the bed before sitting next to her

"Just_" he closed his eyes and a frown creased his brow briefly "_don't throw a fit about this in the morning." he pleaded.

Hermione shook her head faintly. Draco took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. Every instinct in his body was urging him to tear the nightgown apart. But the reasonable side of him prevailed.  
>He laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back. He directed his attention to the spot he had discovered before, his teeth nibbled at the base of her throat and she let herself fall back to the bed.<p>

Draco's gaze lingered on her heaving chest. His eyes widened as he took in the rest of Hermione's frame. A scar marked her left arm, one that he was too distracted to notice the last time. Draco was easily able to read the letters carved in her flesh. He struggled to hide an appalled grimace as he remembered what caused this scar.  
>Hermione started to feel conscious when she saw the hints of a grimace on Draco's face. She raised her hand to her throat, hiding her scar, and looked away.<p>

"No" Draco mumbled as he turned around the bed and lay on his side next to Hermione. He pulled her hand away from her throat with difficulty. He bent his head down and left a trail of kisses along her arm, spending extra time on her scar. Hermione looked at him but all she could see was the top of his head, she ran her fingers through his hair, gently pulling his head up.

The flimsy fabric of the nightgown started feeling like too much of a barrier beneath Draco's hands. He buried his face in Hermione's neck, the tip of his tongue tracing her vein. He slid one hand behind her neck, fiddling with the knot that tied the nightgown, he eventually untied it.

Draco pulled down the gown, revealing Hermione's bare breasts. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Draco's warm mouth sucking in one hard peak followed by a cold blow of air. She let out a husky moan as a mix of pain and pleasure surged through her body when Draco let his teeth explore freely. At some point she wasn't aware of, Draco pulled the nightgown down her legs and let it hang loosely at the edge of the bed. Then she noticed that he was still fully clothed, only his feet were bare.

Draco pressed a kiss into Hermione's bellybutton. He moved his hands to the waistband of her white silk knicker, pulling it down. But Hermione's hand closed over his quickly. With a couple of swift moves, she pushed Draco back to the bed, surmounting him. He watched her through hooded eyes as she clumsily undid the buttons of his shirt with shaky fingers.

Draco raised himself off the bed briefly to take off his shirt. Hermione was fumbling with his belt and he was gradually losing his patience. After long agonizing moments she finally undid it. His trousers' button and zip followed. He had a plan of lengthening this as much as possible but the way Hermione's eyes gleamed as she watched him intently, ignited in him a primitive desire to take.

Hermione's hand skimmed over Draco's shoulder, resting at his chest. She could feel one hard nipple against her palm and couldn't help but let her mouth explore it closely. She reveled in the guttural moan that escaped his throat. He looked up at her with eyes too dark and shiny. He rolled over her again, his weight pinning her down.

With an impatient movement he almost tore apart her knickers. His fingers slid through her silky folds in an agonizing circular motion. He raised two glistening fingers and pushed them slowly through Hermione's parted lips. Her brows drew together briefly as she tasted herself for what was probably the first time. After a short moment she started sucking and biting his fingers eagerly. Draco freed them from Hermione's mouth and covered it with his. A soft moan vibrated through his throat and into hers as he tasted her lips.

Hermione ground her hips tentatively against Draco. the fabric of his boxers felt too rough for her. As if on cue, Draco pushed himself up and took off the last barrier of clothes that stood between them. He watched Hermione's reaction as her intent gaze traveled over his full length. He looked into her eyes, seeking confirmation. His confirmation came when she started parting her legs slightly.

Draco's hand glided over Hermione leg, stopping at her calf. He ran his thumb over the back of her knee before pushing it to one side. Instinctively, Hermione wrapped her leg around his back. He braced himself on one arm, nearly hovering over her. His other arm reached between them, he guided himself into her entrance.  
>He bowed his head and dropped a kiss at the bridge of her nose. His tip pushed into her then he withdrew again. Repeating the same action for three or four times, he wasn't sure whether he was teasing Hermione or himself.<p>

"_Draco!_" Hermione moaned impatiently. Her desperate tone was his undoing, with one confident thrust, Draco pushed his full length into her. He stilled abruptly, almost sure that he broke through something on his way. Hermione let out a muffled whimper and he didn't dare move.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a whisper. Hermione took a brief moment before opening her eyes and looking at him. She nodded in response.

"Are you..were you..a.." Draco stammered before Hermione's hand cupped the nape of his neck and pulled him down, pushing his face against her neck. He obeyed her silent order, kissing and biting her neck as he moved inside her with slow rhythmic strokes. After a long while of holding back, when Draco started to think he couldn't hold back any longer, he felt Hermione's muscles convulse around him.

She arched her back, pushing him even further into her and Draco felt waves of pleasure run through his body and end up in hers as he finally reached release. His muscles went loose and his hand was no longer able to support his weight. He collapsed over Hermione for a moment before realizing she was probably unable to breath properly with him on top of her.

He forced himself up and lay next to her on his side. His hand brushed some tendrils of her hair that covered her face. He wiped a bead of sweat that formed over her forehead and waited for her to recover.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked quietly when Hermione finally opened her eyes.

"Would it have made any difference?" Hermione asked simply.

"I could've been more...careful." Draco replied thoughtfully.

"It's okay; I'm okay." Hermione assured, her clouded mind unable to come up with a more detailed answer.

_Okay?_ Draco frowned. He couldn't tell what Hermione meant by okay. Did she mean she was alright? Or did she just describe what happened as just okay? Nothing about this encounter was merely okay! _No, she definitely meant that she was alright_, Draco decided that this was the only rational option.

"Good night then." he murmured before pressing a brief kiss against the bridge of her nose. He rolled over his back taking her with him. It wasn't long before he heard her breath evening.  
>A faint ray of light teased Draco's eyes. He looked at the window through barely opened eyes. The first rays of sunlight were making their way through the dark sky. He closed his eyes again and adjusted himself on the bed, careful not to wake Hermione up. But then he realized that wasn't possible; he was sleeping alone.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Dear _Phoebe_, I like to think that I am a frequent updater. Of course, real life comes in the way occasionally. I study sculpture and it's an extremely time-consuming major. But I try my best to update once or twice a week. I hate to keep you guys waiting because I'm always as excited about the next chapter as you are. So I promise to keep my updates as frequent as possible. I'm glad you liked my stories and I hope to never disappoint you. :)**

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><p>For a fleeting second, Draco wished he hadn't mixed the potion with his drink that night. Maybe he did need that baby to keep Hermione by his side after all. <em>NO<em>! A voice inside his head roared; no ill-gotten gains in this.

He dragged himself out of bed and forced his heavy eyelids open. He groaned in irritation at the assault of light on his pupils. He made his way to his bedroom and poked his head inside. The room was empty and the bed looked ruffled. A blast of air came through the open window and Draco realized he was stark naked.  
>He walked back to the other room, tripping and almost falling over a carpet on his way.<br>He put on his boxers and retrieved his wand. Fully awake and alarmed at Hermione's sudden disappearance now. He opened one bedroom after the other but Hermione was nowhere to be found.

Draco skipped down the stairs; the marble stairs too cold under his bare feet. A faint light came from the library room and a wave of relief washed over him as he saw Hermione curled on one of the ridiculously big armchairs. Crouching next to her, he tapped her shoulder lightly and Hermione's eyes flew open. She suddenly sat up in the chair. Her hands clutching its arms and her eyes too wide for somebody who just woke up.

"Light sleeper doesn't even begin to describe you!" Draco mused.

Hermione stared at him silently, her chest rose and fell as she took one deep breath after the other. Her sleeping issues were going to be the death of her, she thought grimly. Years of not having the slightest sense of security left her in a constant state of hyper-vigilance. She had slept in old abandoned houses, shady motels and even forests. Non of them felt safe enough for her to allow herself some hours of decent sleep.

Her survival instincts got sharper over the course of time; the faintest noise woke her up. And then there were the nightmares that kept her company almost every night. The only few times where she actually slept were when she was too tired and had to collapse rather than sleep.

That night, she woke up after a couple of hours of sleep. She hardly muffled a yelp when she realized the comfortable pillow she was curled into was actually Draco. She sneaked out of bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. Picking up her clothes, she went back to the other room. The last thing she needed was for Malfoy to witness one of her nightmares; he had seen enough weak points already.

As she walked back to the bedroom, Hermione felt an ache in muscles she had only discovered recently. For over an hour, she tried persuading herself to sleep. When she finally gave up, she decided to find something to read.  
>Hermione blinked a couple of times as she heard Draco's voice calling her name. He was saying something she didn't pay attention to.<p>

"So..?" he demanded, looking at her expectantly.

"What?" Hermione asked, her brows drew together in confusion.

"I said, why are you sleeping here?" Draco repeated, studying Hermione intently.

"Oh..I..woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. I didn't want to wake you up, so..I came down here to read and..just fell asleep." Hermione explained, making up her story as she spoke.

"I find it very hard to believe that you were worried about waking me up." Draco admitted, looking at her suspiciously. "But since I'm already awake anyway, come back to bed" he suggested.

"I think I'll stay here for a while." Hermione objected.

"You're sleeping here?" Draco questioned, raising his eyebrow at her.

"No, I'll read. When I feel like sleeping I'll go back upstairs."

"By upstairs, which room do you mean?"

"The one I've slept in ever since I came here."

"So you want us to have separate rooms?" Draco asked carefully, cocking his head to one side.

"Obviously" Hermione replied simply.

"Don't you think that would be ridiculous? Let alone hardly practical." Draco voiced his rhetorical question.

"I think it's perfectly normal and...what do you mean by impractical?" Hermione replied defensively.

"I mean..what's the point of hopping from one bed to the other?" Draco explained, fighting back a smirk that would only evoke a fight.

"Hopping?" Hermione repeated the word with a frown. It took her some time to register what Draco meant. "Oh..what happened tonight was a one time thing; a means to an end." she declared confidently.

_She was dealing with this a lot better than I had expected_, Draco thought. There were no tantrums, no flying objects and no high-pitched screams. And if it weren't for the book she was holding defensively against her chest like a shield, he could've said that she was completely unaffected by their encounter.

"I thought we covered that part already. Sooner or later we'd have to share a room." Draco reminded her, "Unless of course, you expect both of us to have..other partners." he raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

Hermione gave an incredulous scoff. He was taking the matter too seriously and too simply at the same time. The way he talked so easily about their future marriage, discussing it as if he was discussing the weather, made her stomach grumble with stress.

"I already told you I'd like it if you don't..plan so far ahead." Hermione said, uncomfortable with where this conversation was heading.

"Your 'Brightest Witch of Her Age' title is fast becoming a legend, Granger." Draco mocked.

"I've planned for too long and it rarely ever worked. " Hermione admitted, "So I think it's better if we just don't." she insisted

"Then maybe you're just terrible at planning." Draco suggested with a careless shrug.

"I don't care, I just want my own room..please." Hermione pleaded exasperatedly.

"Fine, you can have it!" Draco relented, "But that's not what I'm talking about and you know it." he pursued.

"Then I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione replied nonchalantly.

"Sex, I'm talking about sex." Draco said blatantly, "Which seems like the only thing I talk to you about lately." he added thoughtfully, "I'm starting to worry about the sort of impression that gives you about me." an impish grin played at his lips.

"I already have all sorts of bad impressions about you, another one won't hurt." Hermione quipped.

"But you have to admit I did exert a decent amount of effort to improve those impressions." Draco said, his tone more serious.

"Which is over my head since it's something completely against your nature." she admitted, genuinely perplexed by Draco's behavior.

Draco bit out a short harsh laugh, "What do you really know about my nature?" he asked.

"Are you trying to pick up a fight? Because I'm desperately trying to avoid one." Hermione huffed in frustration.

"I had enough fights with you to cover the entire month." Draco smirked, "I'm asking a simple question..out of curiosity." he added.

"Well it's too late in the night or too early in the morning to feed your curiosity." Hermione dismissed as she started to stand up.

It was only when Draco stood up that she realized how very little clothes he had on. At eye level, she could see his slender frame now had broader shoulders. Her eyes traveled down, widening at the blunt bulge in his boxers. She looked up at his face. His pointed features were still as lofty as ever, only his platinum gaze didn't have the cruel shadow that usually laced it. Her lips were slightly parted and her breath hitched in her throat. Whatever that carnal pull meant, she wanted it to fade as soon as possible.

"Changed your mind about sharing a room?" he asked, twisting his mouth mischievously at her.

"In your wildest dreams!" Hermione scoffed, brushing against Draco as she walked out of the room.

"Exactly!" she heard Draco's voice chuckling behind her.

Draco headed back to his room. Something thrown behind the bedside cabinet caught his attention. He picked it up and headed to Hermione's room. After several unanswered knocks, he opened the door. She wasn't in bed. He heard a noise coming from the bathroom. Pressing his ear against the door, he heard the sound of running water.

His hand hovered over the door knob. The temptation urging him to open the door was soon prevailing over the voice of reason. The idea of Hermione losing sleep merely because she woke up to find him next to her, irritated him. If she wanted space, it was only reasonable to let her have it. But Draco found himself reluctant to let her recoil away from him, reconstructing a wall he was already having a hard time demolishing.

He turned the door knob slowly but it was locked from the inside. He pointed his wand at the door and unlocked it with ease. Hermione was standing with her back to him. His eyes followed the water cascading down her back. Water seemed to be the only thing able to tame her hair as it was pushed back into slick locks covering a decent fraction of her back.

She turned around, giving him a good view of her profile. Her eyes were closed and her head was pushed back. Draco cursed himself inwardly when he saw a couple of purple bruises marking her waist and another harsher one marking her arm.  
>Water ran down her throat, bouncing off her breasts. Draco was intently studying Hermione in the bright lights of the bathroom, he didn't notice her opening her eyes.<p>

"_Malfoy_! What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Hermione shrieked. Her high-pitched voice echoed in the bathroom. She looked around her and snatched a towel that was hanging next to the shower. Too distracted by Draco's presence, she wrapped the towel around her torso, not caring to stop the water jets.

"Get out!" she bellowed at him.

"If you plan on occupying this room then you shouldn't leave your belongings in mine." Draco advised with a wide grin, seemingly indifferent towards her rage. A familiar pair of white knickers were dangling provocatively from his forefinger.


	11. Chapter 11

Blaise tried to sneak out of bed. He had to perform a series of acrobatic moves to free his limbs that were tangled with Ginny's in a way he could've sworn was physically impossible.

He cursed under his breath when he almost twisted his ankle. He was foolishly putting himself through this almost every night. He kept telling himself with every passing day that by tomorrow he'd get Ginny Weasly out of his system. By tomorrow, he'd be able to look at her and feel nothing but sheer indifference. She'd be just another woman. But tomorrow never came.

It wasn't the physical attraction that irked Blaise. Well..it did, to some extent. However, what disturbed him the most was the attraction that went further than bed. He was frightened by the eagerness that took hold of him at the thought of going back home every day. The disappointment that surged in him when he went back to an empty home.

Blaise had a simple life and a string of ex-girlfriends who rarely ever ended up broken-hearted because they already knew him to be allergic to any form of serious relationships. Then a barking mad redhead plundered herself into his life unannounced.  
>He cursed himself inwardly for not handing her over when he had the chance to. Not only did she put his career and even his life at risk. But she also forced a child upon him when he had never fancied parenthood. And what disoriented Blaise about this was how he wasn't reacting to this as strongly as he should.<p>

He should be barking mad at her. Instead, he was secretly seeking her company and striving to know her better. He should be exerting great levels of self control in order not to strangle her. Instead, he was exerting those very same levels to keep his hands off her. And he kept failing miserably at that.  
>Three months have passed and nothing changed. He still wanted her, and he still loathed it. It didn't help too, that she kept defying him at every corner. Defiance wasn't something he sought in women and she had an extra dose of it.<p>

Blaise glanced back at the tiny frame sleeping deeply on his bed as if she had slept there for her entire life. Her entire behavior in the house was audacious. It was only when he heard his own house elves calling her Mistress and taking orders from her that he realized that she was slowly infiltrating herself into his life. And he didn't raise a finger to stop her.

How could he when they were having a child that would keep them bound forever? It wasn't just that he wasn't going to tolerate having his son raised with a step-parent. There was a part of him that -now that he had a taste of her presence in his life- wasn't willing to let Ginny go. Specially not into another man's arms.

Another man, the words echoed inside Blaise's head. Technically speaking he was the other man. It didn't matter if his only rival was long-dead. He still came second. Blaise shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the enraging thought.

Draco was starting to feel too uncomfortable. A bathtub wasn't exactly his idea of a comfortable place to sleep in. Neither was Hermione helping by her constant twitching. How did somebody who was such a light sleeper move so often in her sleep? And what was with the mumbling? She kept muttering incoherent words under her breath and it took Draco a while to realize she wasn't awake; she was talking in her sleep.

He desperately wanted to go back to bed but he didn't dare carry her and risk waking her up. A shiver of cold ran through his body and he reached for his wand.

"Incendio" he muttered and several small balls of fire emitted from the tip of his wand, floating above his head and around the bathtub.

"Ah!" a yelp of pain escaped from Draco as he felt sharp fingernails planting themselves in his chest.

He looked down at Hermione, angling his head to take a good look at her face. A frown creased her forehead. Her breathing became ragged and shallow. Then Draco felt warm tears falling on his chest. Still, amidst of what seemed like an intense nightmare, Hermione was still asleep.  
>Draco felt disoriented by the situation. He didn't know whether he should wake her up, take her to bed or simply leave. The last option was the first one to be eliminated.<p>

"Hermione.." Draco whispered, pushing back her hair away from her face.

Hermione started mumbling inaudibly. Draco only understood the several 'no's she kept repeating. He hushed quietly, rubbing his hand along the length of her back. Hermione's eyes fluttered before she half-opened them. She scanned her surroundings through squinted eyes then her eyes rested on Draco's face. Her frown deepened as she raised her head and looked up at him in confusion.

"It's alright" Draco assured, pushing her head into his chest.

Hermione's eyes remained opened for a moment before she closed them again. Her stiff muscles relaxed gradually and her breath slowly evened.

Draco drained his second dose of pain relief draught. He then apparated to the Castle of Walpurgis. The castle Voldemort had constructed to be the headquarters of his Death Eaters looked as ominous as the purpose it served. Black dominated the castle's hall and snakes of all different shapes and sizes were engraved on almost every wall. Men and women clad in dark robes were everywhere.

He climbed the stairs two steps at a time, mumbling some casual greeting when necessary and ignoring those coming from people who weren't worthy of his time. He entered Blaise's office without knocking.

"Why does the castle look like a bloody beehive?" Draco demanded.

"Recruitment day." Blaise replied distractedly.

"Isn't that supposed to be next week?" Draco asked with a frown. Had he really lost track of time so much?

"It had been pushed forward for reasons beyond me. You would've known that if you haven't developed a habit of arriving late." Blaise berated.

"What happened to your arm?" Draco asked as he noticed Blaise dripping a potion on his bloodied arm.

"One of the French prats." Blaise spat, "He tried to show off some spell and ended up exploding a string of glass shelves. I lost count of the splinters they removed from my arm. There's a new healer at the hospital too...a rather curvy one" Blaise remarked crudely.

Draco chortled, "How is the recruitment going so far?" he asked.

"Terrible." Blaise replied, "I have no idea how we're suppose to choose at least one hundred new members. I can hardly find ten with decent skill!" he ranted.

"One hundred!" Draco scoffed, "How many are there in the first place?" he asked.

"Around a thousand. The kids from Durmstrang are brilliant, though. One of them conjured a herd of lions from his wand that literally cornered everybody else in the room. Theo and I had to interfere to stop him." Blaise sounded genuinely impressed by the younger wizard's skill.

"The Durmstrang ones are usually the best. Anybody good from Hogwarts?" Draco asked curiously.

"Nothing catchy but there's this girl, she dueled one of the Durmstrangs so well that she almost won. She has potential." Blaise said thoughtfully.

"A Slytherin?" Draco asked, already predicting the answer.

"Actually no. She's a Ravenclaw! Can you believe that?" Blaise said in disbelief.

"The Carrows are doing a pretty good job at Hogwarts, then." Draco's mouth twisted satirically. 

"How are you doing, ladies?" Theodore quipped as he entered the office.

"Will you ever stop being so unjustifiably happy?" Draco huffed.

"Why would I?_" Theo shrugged "_I woke up this morning next to a very beautiful woman who happens to be my girlfriend for the week. I spent this morning telling some kids that they couldn't be good wizards even if their life depended on it. And I might or might not have helped Augustus Rookwood descend the stairs...faster than usual." Theo said with exaggerated innocence.

"I bet he looked a lot better with a broken neck." Draco smirked.

"Well, I can't tell; his neck is still intact. He's going to need a walking cane for the next couple of weeks, though." Theo said proudly.

"Next time, I'll handle his neck. The old git saw me this morning before the recruitment tests started and he told me it was a shame young wizards were tested for skill by wizards who weren't much older and doubtful to have any more skill than their test subjects!" Blaise scoffed indignantly.

"He told me the exact same thing right before I gave him a helping hand...and a middle finger." Theo snickered.

Draco growled in pain. He was massaging the back of his neck while trying to stretch his back. Never was he ever going to sleep in a bathtub again!

"What's wrong?" Theo asked, eyeing Draco curiously.

"I haven't slept well last night." Draco replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, Granger has worn you out already? Such poor stamina." Blaise mocked with a wide grin that soon faded when he realized Theo was staring at him in confusion.

"What? Who?" Theo asked with a sheepish smile, still not registering what Blaise meant. "_WHAT?_" he repeated, now recognizing the name he just heard.

"_Blaaaaiiise.._" Draco groaned loudly, reaching for a statue that sat on Blaise's desk and throwing it at his head.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello guys, I'm not sure if I could add links here but I just wanted to share a photo with you. It's a very accurate depiction of how I see Draco in this story.**

**I tried to make it as clear as this website allows: imgur -dot- com -slash- 4CFUFaO**

* * *

><p>Theo waved his wand at the small statue, stopping it right before it hit Blaise's forehead.<p>

"You can kill Blaise later." Theo remarked coldly, "Explain." he ordered.

"It's a long story.." Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A long story that has been going on for a long time and Blaise have known about it for long while I was kept in the dark for too long." Theo deduced.

"You're overreacting." Draco huffed, "It had been less than a week since this started." he added.

"What exactly is _this_?" Theo demanded.

"Remember that mission I was sent on to capture Longbottom? Well, I didn't find him." Draco replied.

"Yes you were obviously too busy looking for another brunette." Theo mocked, "Draco, are you repeating that idiot's mistake?" Theo asked, nodding in Blaise's direction.

"If you think about it, it's not exactly a mistake." Draco replied defensively.

"Yes, you're right. It's a disaster. A fucking disaster waiting to happen! She's a Mudblood, Draco. Not just a Mudblood, no. She's _the_ Mudblood!" Theo fumed at Draco, "It doesn't matter how much you want her; the Dark Lord will still want her head more." he went on, almost frantically.

"He can want whatever the fuck he feels like. I'll still get my way eventually." Draco replied with an indifferent shrug.

"Draco!" Theo exclaimed incredulously, "This is not the first time I tell you to watch your words, if somebody heard you talking about the Dark Lord like this you'd be dead before you could finish your sentence!"

"Theo, if somebody heard this conversation I'd have a lot more to worry about than my lack of necessary respect" Draco argued sardonically.

"I'm glad you realize how dangerous your situation is." Theo twisted his mouth is disapproval.

"I'm perfectly aware of that." Draco replied calmly.

"Then hand her over to the Dark Lord! This could be the best thing that ever happened to you; do you have any idea how great his reward to you could be if you were the one to capture her?" Theo tried to reason with him.

"What about what I want?" Draco argued.

"She's just a girl, Draco! More replaceable than you can imagine. I can help you pull one of Daphne's friends. There's this girl wh..." Theo pursued.

"Who?" Blaise interjected, cocking his head to one side.

"What?" Theo asked, swallowing visibly.

"One of who's friends?" Blaise cleared up.

"Oh..um..Daphne.." Theo stammered.

"Daphne..Daphne Greengrass.._my_ Daphne Greengrass?" Blaise asked with a look of disbelief.

"_Your_!" Theo scoffed, "When has she become yours?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, not exactly mine, but we were dating for so long." Blaise amended.

"Yes and then you kept a couple of secrets from her. You know, those trivial details where you slept with Weasly and sort of got her pregnant..._while_ you were dating Daphne." Theo recounted sarcastically.

"It's not half as bad as you make it sound." Blaise replied, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"It's worse and honestly it all started because of you. I was trying -as a friend- to fix the mess you left behind, and things just..escalated from there." Theo explained.

"Alright, I'll let you guys enjoy your pillow talk. I have work to do." Draco said quickly, nearly darting out of the office, ignoring Theo's calls after him. Grateful for Blaise's diversion yet unsure whether it was intentional or not.

"I'll have you know that my father:_ Tom Gawain_, will not be pleased by this pairing." a grating voice pierced Draco's ears as he entered the wide hall that hosted the applicants.

"What?" Draco asked with a grimace. He turned around to see a much shorter, weedy boy looking at him with haughty brown eyes.

"You're Draco Malfoy, right? I heard some great things about your family from my father. I'm Peter Gawain, you sure are familiar with the name." the boy introduced himself with a snobbish tilt of his chin.

Draco looked at the hand extended in front of him and instantly decided to ignore it. He was too familiar with this. Abusing his family's name was one of the talents he developed too early. He looked at the other end of the hall and saw a young boy. Not taller than the one in front of him but bulkier, with sharper features.

The boy wore a robe with Drumstrang's name embroidered on it. Draco looked at him, capturing the moment where he aimed at a cherry on top of one of his friend's head, cutting it in half. Draco then understood the weedy boy's reluctance. If he ever stood a chance in front of the Drumstrang boy, then it was a slim one.  
><em>Gawain<em>, Draco repeated the name in his head. He recognized the Scottish wizard, but he didn't want to give his son the satisfaction of it.

"And what seems to be your problem?" Draco demanded dryly.

"Well...I..I want to duel a different wizard." the boy stammered, taken aback by Draco's indifference. "This boy over there..is hardly competition for me." he added, in an attempt to save face.

"Then he shouldn't waste much of your time." Draco gibed.

"Peter Gawain and Aron Greger." Draco announced, "Take your places." he ordered.

He watched the boys as one dragged his legs reluctantly while the other almost darted to his place. Draco waved his wand, creating a sheilding dome over the two boys. A shield that can't be broken through...except maybe by the wizard who just cast it.  
>At some point, by the end of the duel. Draco stopped trying to hide the gloating grin on his face as he watched Peter Gawain fail miserably. With some assistance from Draco, of course. <em>He should thank me for this later<em>, Draco thought bitterly.

It was a long day for Draco. The constant pain in his neck made it even longer. His thoughts kept drifting away to Hermione's odd sleeping pattern. She moved a lot in her sleep. Her moves too violent sometimes. She moved, hummed, mumbled, cried, all while still asleep! Whatever it is that she had been doing in the past years, it stayed with her.  
>He nibbled at his food. Hermione was taking refuge in her room. He still didn't know what to expect from her. Another tantrum? Detachment? Calling her unpredictable was an understatement. When he lost all hope of her leaving the room, he finally decided to go for her himself.<p>

"Tell me you haven't read all those books." Draco said as he saw Hermione cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by an array of books. He stood beside the bed, inspecting the books. "What's wrong?" he asked when he noticed they were all books about healing.

"Nothing, I just wanted to know about the..pregnancy spell." Hermione replied nonchalantly, still looking at the book in her hands.

"You have to wait for twenty one days." Draco informed.

"I know, I was just trying to see if it could be done any sooner." Hermione replied, finally looking at Draco.

"What's that?" she asked with a frown as she studied his outfit. He wore a pair of black trousers which she grew to realize was his trademark color. But what caught her attention was the long robe with buttons all the way from the neck to the end of Draco's torso. It was embrodied with silver along the line of the buttons. The robe looked like it fitted him more than necessary. It looked suffocating.

"What's what?" Draco asked, looking behind him then looking at himself in confusion.

"Can you breathe properly in that thing?" Hermione asked, nodding at his robe.

"I got used to it." Draco replied with a shrug, undoing the first two buttons of his robe.

"Of course you did." Hermione muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Nothing.." Hermione mumbled.

_Do not pick up a fight_, she reminded herself sternly. She was going to deal with this like an adult. She decided to ignore the fact that this was Draco Malfoy for the sake of both her sanity and her integrity. Because her integrity wouldn't remain intact if she kept in mind that she was living under Draco's roof and willingly seeking his so called protection. And her sanity would be history if she didn't accept the fact that the man in front of her was different from the boy she knew on so many levels.

_People change over time_, Hermione pondered. But not Draco. He might have changed his attitude towards her, becoming more civilized. But wasn't that an essential part of growing up for everybody?  
>He was still a Death Eater: an enemy. He was still loyal to Voldemort even if his loyalty had faltered during the Battle of Hogwarts. He obviously restored it and made his way to the top.<br>Hermione felt the bed move suddenly. She looked to her side and saw that Draco had just thrown himself next to her. His hand was massaging the nape of his neck while he rubbed his eyes with the other one.

"What's wrong?" she asked, eyeing his stiff frame curiously.

"Long day at work." Draco replied curtly.

"Why? Did something happen? Have you found any of the..insurgents?" Hermione asked with her most casual tone.

"No, the recruitment have started." he answered.

"What recruitment?" she asked.

Draco took a deep breath, too exhausted to explain. "Every year we receive volunteers from all over the world. Witches and Wizards who just turned seventeen and want to become Death Eaters." Draco said as he sat up on the bed, "First they're tested for their loyalties, blood purity and general skill. Those of them who make it through the first phase are called applicants." he added.

"Each of them gets a chance to..show off his best spells." Draco explained, looking for the right words through his crowded mind. "Those of them who show decent talent, start the third phase where they're paired together for duels. The winners keep dueling each other until we have one or two winners eventually." he went on.

"Each year we have a target number of new members. So we go in ascending order. We accept the two winners and keep going down until we have enough members. This year for example, we're accepting the first one hundred." Draco said.

"One hundred!" Hermione gasped, "You..you..there are one hundred new Death Eaters every year!"

"Not necessarily. This is the first year we require that number. Last year we only needed fifty." he recounted.

"And all those Death Eaters are here in London?" Hermione asked.

"No, most of them are foreigners. They're trained here then they're sent to their countries." Draco replied

"When have everybody become so loyal to him?" Hermione mumbled almost talking to herself.

"It's not just loyalty. They do it for the status, the protection..the money" Draco replied thoughtfully.

"And you?" Hermione asked suddenly after a long pause.

"Me what?" Draco frowned at her in confusion.

"What are you doing it for?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I was born into it." Draco shrugged, "Plus, I was already a Death Eater when the Dark Lord took over. I just had to choose whether I wanted to be an active Death Eater or a dead one." he added simply.

"And it doesn't matter to you if your loyalty lies with the darkest wizard the.." Hermione argued animatedly.

"This is not about loyalty. It's about survival." Draco cut her off abruptly.

"But you must have some sort of loyalty to one side over the other." she pursued.

"I'm loyal to myself." Draco clipped, "And my family." he added after a thoughtful pause.

"Which is only your mother now.." Hermione said in something between a statement and a question.

"So far." Draco corrected, "But I don't think we're working properly on that part." he added with a wolfish grin when Hermione's eyes widened.


	13. Chapter 13

"No..no.." -Hermione shook her head strongly- "I think..twice is more than enough."

"The mere fact that you can still keep track shows how poorly we've been doing." Draco stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure there's nothing we can do that haven't been done yet." Hermione replied calmly, struggling to maintain an air of cool indifference.

"On the contrary," -Draco stood up and turned around the bed- "You'll find that I can be very innovative." his eyes gleamed impishly.

"I don't feel like finding out, thank you very much." Hermione insisted.

She took a couple of steps back, tripping over the carpet and landing flat on her back. Hermione yelped in pain as she rubbed the back of her head slowly.

"You really need to stop running around like a frightened deer every time I come near you. It could be offensive at times." Draco advised, crouching on the floor next to Hermione.

Hermione looked up at him, panicking when she saw his face too close. She jumped upright, bumping her head right into Draco's.

"_Dammit, Granger_! Stop fretting!" Draco muttered several curses under his breath.

"I'm not fretting, I tripped and fell." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Yes, because you were fretting." Draco scowled at her, rubbing his forehead.

Hermione turned around and headed towards the door only to have it slammed shut in her face.

"It's considered rude to leave in the middle of a conversation." Draco's remarked.

"We weren't exactly having one." Hermione retorted.

"You don't think our future family is conversation worthy?" Draco asked innocently.

Hermione bit out an incredulous laugh. "You..are..unbelievable!" she exclaimed.

"Several women have said the same." Draco smirked at her, "The situation was different, though." he added.

"Seriously, Malfoy? _Seriously_? Do you really expect me to stand there and listen to you bragging about a long list of girlfriends? No thank you, your love life doesn't interest me." Hermione lifted her chin up and looked away indifferently.

"That's bad, considering that you're an essential part of it now...the only part actually." Draco replied thoughtfully.

Hermione scoffed, finding it hard to believe that Draco didn't already have at least two other women in his life.

"I find this very hard to believe." Hermione admitted.

"It's true. So maybe with that in mind, you'll realize how frustrating your reluctance could be" Draco said simply, "Specially when I already know it's false pretense." his mouth twisted sardonically.

"You flatter yourself too much." Hermione remarked with a grimace.

"You know, Hermione. If you're not careful with your words I might get the impression that you're provoking me so I would come over there and prove my point." Draco challenged mischievously.

"Of course I'm not!" Hermione replied indignantly.

"Too bad, I was hoping you were." Draco smirked at her.

Too fast for Hermione's liking, Draco was standing a breath away from her. His intent gaze never leaving hers. She raised her wand in the space between them.

"Step back." she ordered, pointing her wand threateningly at Draco who looked at the wand impassively then at her.

"You're only proving my point. If you're so unaffected by me then why are you hiding behind your wand?" Draco argued.

"Because I don't trust what you're going to do." Hermione said.

"Whatever it is, it can't possibly affect you, right?" he pursued.

"Right.." she replied cautiously.

"Then you don't need that wand." Draco raised his hand to pull the wand away from Hermione's icy grip. He threw the wand away and took hold of Hermione's wrist. Gently, he folded her arm behind her back.

"Because _this_.." -Draco buried his face in Hermione's neck, biting gently at the vein that throbbed rapidly- " evokes absolutely no reaction in you."

"No, you are definitely _not_ shivering." -Draco's hand skimmed over Hermione's back slowly- "Or maybe you're just cold." he mocked.

"I can't.." -Draco raised his head up a fraction, biting at Hermione's earlobe- "..possibly.." - his lips moved to her jawline- "..have _any_ effect.." he ran the tip of his tongue along the line of her jaw, "on you."

Her other hand that was splayed over his stomach with the intention of pushing him away, contracted when his warm tongue flicked over the hollow of her throat. Draco raised up his head to look into Hermione's eyes. The hand that leisurely wandered around her back, now cupped one side of her face, angling her head to one side.

"Because you're _so fucking immune_ to me." he whispered against the corner of her mouth.

Hermione's fingers dove into the hard material of Draco's robe. He let go of the arm he was securing behind her back.

"You were right, I can't breathe properly in that robe." Draco admitted, "Undo the buttons." he urged huskily.

She looked up at him, one hand hovering hesitantly over the buttons while the other remained fixed to her side.

"No." she mumbled inaudibly, talking to herself rather than Draco.

"Yes." Draco contradicted.

His hands closed over Hermione's, guiding her to the first button. Hermione's fingers stiffened over the button, fighting the instinctive urge to undo it. _Just do it_! An errant voice in her head implored. A voice Hermione struggled to suppress.

"_Hermione.._" Draco almost pleaded with a desperate sigh.

Hermione fumbled with the buttons clumsily. Too distracted by the waves of sensation Draco's kiss was evoking in her. He let out a guttural groan when the last button was finally undone. He hastily shrugged off the robe before sliding his shirt over his head. He looked up at Hermione, his ego cheering triumphantly as he saw her eyes travelling over the length of his torso. The cheers stopped abruptly when he recognized the look of panic on Hermione's face. The look that usually came right before she pulled back into her shell.

"Don't." Draco muttered under his breath, pulling Hermione close again.

He tugged at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up carefully. Hermione stared at him blankly, not making any move to help him take off the shirt. Draco stood there patiently, waiting for too long before she finally decided to cooperate with him. His arm snaked around Hermione's back, pressing her against his hard length. He pushed her to the bed gently.

Draco bent down slightly, he deftly undid the button and the zip that held Hermione's trousers together. He pulled them off swiftly and let them fall to the floor. He watched Hermione for a moment, deciding what to do. Then he knelt before the edge of the bed, pulling Hermione closer until the back of her knees were resting on his shoulders. He only realized the mistake he had made when he failed at pulling off her knickers.

Too hasty to get rid of the last barrier that stood between them, Draco ripped them off. Hermione braced herself up on both elbows. She watched with wide eyes as Draco bent his head down. His warm breath fanned against her, then his lips left a trail of kisses on her thighs.  
>When the taunting lasted for too long, Hermione groaned desperately. She placed her hand on the back of Draco's head, pulling him closer. She could hear him chuckling so she smacked his head.<p>

Draco raised his head up raised an eyebrow at Hermione who looked back at him defiantly. He stood up and climbed the bed next to Hermione. She turned her head to look back at him.

"I need a hand with my trousers." Draco pointed out.

"You need a hand _in_ your trousers." Hermione corrected, slapping herself in her head for not pausing to think before speaking.

Draco laughed loudly, looking at Hermione in amusement. _Did she just say that? _He chortled inwardly.

"So..are you going to do something about it?" Draco asked, angling his head to have a good view of Hermione's face.

Hermione didn't reply. Instead, she moved over to Draco. With growing familiarity, she undid the belt. Draco's hand reached for the zip, opening it before discarding the trousers. Unable to put up with Hermione's agonizingly slow pace, he pushed her pack to the bed. He bent his head down, his mouth claiming hers once more.

Deciding not to repeat his previous struggle with her bra, Draco muttered something under his breath and the wretched clasp was undone. He slid the straps off her shoulders, intentionally gliding his fingers across the length of her arms as he did so. He closed his mouth over one hard peak, twisting the other between his fingers.

It was only when Draco's teeth started leaving marks on her that Hermione's moans got louder and her voice grew gruff. When she started tugging forcefully at the hem of his boxers, he decided it was about time he got rid of them. Hermione's hand instinctively reached for him. The unexpected gesture took him by surprise and a guttural groan vibrated through his throat. His hand closed over Hermione's and raised it up, planting a kiss on her palm before letting it go.

Draco guided himself into Hermione. He pushed the tip of his length in and glanced up at her face to gauge her reaction. Her teeth were biting too hard into her lower lip as she looked at him through half closed eyes. He bent down and freed her lower lip with his own lips, pushing himself slowly into her. After what felt like ages for Hermione, his pace that started as slow and deliberate, gradually turned into fast frantic thrusts.

Too overwhelmed by the flood of sensations that came through her lips, her breasts and her insides, Hermione felt the first wave of pleasure. Her toes curled and her fingers dug into Draco's back. Just when the last wave of pleasure was fading, Hermione felt Draco's own release filling her up. Minutes later, he nearly collapsed on top of her. His weight pinning her down to the bed.  
>Draco raised himself up, mumbling an apology when he realized Hermione was gasping for air.<p>

"If that's how you are when you're unaffected then I can't wait to see the affected version of you." Draco jested, his grin growing wider when Hermione glared at him.


	14. Chapter 14

"So, today is the big day, huh?" Theo asked as he watched the apprentices practicing a new spell.

Draco nodded distractedly. Twenty one days have passed since his first night with Hermione. Days that were as moody as the sea. But they came a long way in such a short time, he assured himself.

"You still have time to run for your life." Theo suggested.

"This is the umpteenth time I tell you, I don't want to." Draco huffed impatiently.

"Is your so called plan even working?" Theo argued.

"I'll have you know that it's working perfectly fine." Draco replied with a proud lift of his chin, "We talk more, I've grown to know her better lately. We fight less.."

"Right!" Theo scoffed.

"I didn't say we stopped fighting, I said we fight less." Draco repeated with a scowl, "Where's Blaise?" he asked.

Theo scanned the room with a frown before speaking, "He said he'll be back in five minutes. That was almost an hour ago."

"I'll go find him." Draco said, desperately trying to escape Theo's persistent interrogation.

Draco tried to open the door to Blaise's office but it was locked. He knocked twice and got no answer in return even though he could hear noise coming from the office. He pointed his wand at the door to open it, and almost closed it again instantly. Ginny was sitting on the desk with Blaise standing between her legs. They were both too absorbed in what seemed like a fervent kiss that they hadn't noticed Draco's presence. I was Ginny who saw him first. She pushed Blaise away abruptly, hastily pulling together her half open shirt.

"Whatever happened to knocking!" Blaise hissed at Draco.

"I knocked twice, but you were too..distracted to hear me." Draco replied with smirk, looking at Ginny who stood with her hands crossed over her chest protectively, glaring at Draco.

"Then you shouldn't have entered." Ginny spat.

"No matter how improper my entrance was, your actions were far more inappropriate than mine." Draco argued with a provocative grin.

Ginny started to say something but Blaise stopped her, putting his hand over her mouth and mumbling something that sounded like a plead.

"I was leaving anyway." Ginny shook her head away from Blaise's hand. "Tell your friend to stay away from me or I swear I'll curse her sorry ass." she directed her words to Blaise with a warning finger before leaving the office.

"Fuck you Draco." Blaise muttered under his breath as he heard Ginny slamming the door.

"How would I know?" Draco asked from between chuckles, "The office, Blaise! Your standards are disintegrating."

"Things were perfect and then you happened." Blaise whined.

"Then stop whining and go home to finish what you started." Draco replied simply.

"It's not that simple. Nothing is that simple with her." Blaise sighed in exasperation as he threw himself on his chair.

"Why not?" Draco asked curiously.

"Because she's Ginny! She's too moody, too quick-tempered, too stubborn, too bold and..too much of everything."

"You should be able to adapt with that by now."

"Easier said than done." Blaise twisted his mouth sardonically, "Is it possible to base a decent relationship on sex? Because that's all I seem to have." he asked thoughtfully.

It took Draco a long moment to reply; Blaise's remark hit home. During the past days he was desperately trying to find some solid ground to build a relationship with Hermione on. But he was able to extract very little from her. She was too introverted and he had to perform extra effort to get her to talk.

"I think so." Draco replied, "It would be shallow but easy, no fuss".

"I know, this was the only sort of relationships I've ever had and my life was perfectly fine until she decided it to push me head first into her plans." Blaise ranted as the question that never left him echoed in his mind. Why didn't he just capture Ginny when he found her? His job would've been given a boost and his life would've still been rotating in its safe, commitment free orbit.

"Anyway, who's that friend she was talking about?" Draco asked.

"Daphne," Blaise replied with a frown, "she met Ginny today and they had a...heated argument. Pansy was with her too."

"I thought Daphne was over you, isn't she with Theo now?" Draco asked in confusion.

"I thought so too. Apparently, I thought wrong. Daphne's still offended by the whole story and Pansy keeps agitating her." Blaise huffed impatiently, "Why are you still here?" he asked suddenly when his eyes fell on the clock.

"Oh..I..um..I had to attend the apprentices' training." Draco lied.

"Since when do you attend the training when you're not part of it?" Blaise raised a questioning eyebrow at Draco.

"Well, I thought that..." Draco started to say.

"Spit it out, Draco. Why are you loitering here when you usually ran back home before we could say 'Draco'?" Blaise questioned.

"I don't feel like going back home." Draco admitted.

"Why not?"

"Hermione is supposed to perform the pregnancy spell today. I'm not sure how she'll react."

"What do you expect?"

"I have no idea, really. She could be mad..maybe depressed. She might want to leave..anything."

"How do you know there won't be a baby in the first place?"

"Of course there won't be, I told you about the potion."

"Yes but how are you so sure the potion would work? What if you didn't drink enough to last for a whole month? What if the old git lied to you and the potion was fake?"

"He wouldn't dare.."

"You'll never know."

Draco's mind reeled with the endless options Blaise's words suggested. What if his plan didn't work after all and Hermione was pregnant? Suddenly he felt like he was too late and needed to go back home as soon as possible. He left Blaise's office without another word and headed back to the Manor. When he found Hermione with her knees pressed against her chest and her head bent down, he knew at once that Blaise's speculations weren't true.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"Do you know how to perform a pregnancy spell?" Hermione asked.

"Um..yes.." Draco replied with a confused frown.

"Alright, do it." Hermione ordered as she stood up in front of him.

"You didn't try to.." Draco started to ask.

"Just do it." Hermione cut him off.

Draco decided against arguing further. He took out his wand and his brows drew together in concentration as he pointed it at Hermione. "Manifesto Praeseminatio." he said clearly. A minute passed before a faint blue light came out of the tip of Draco's wand.

"Nothing!" Hermione whispered disbelievingly, "At first..I thought I was performing the spell wrong but now..I just..I don't" Hermione's voice trailed off as she started gasping for air.

"Breathe." Draco ordered, holding Hermione by the shoulders.

"I don't.." Hermione inhaled sharply, "..get it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is." Draco replied, "Things like that happen all the time." he shrugged.

"Things! What things?" Hermione frowned at him.

"You know.." Draco hesitated for a moment, "You don't necessarily have to get pregnant so fast, sometimes it takes time."

"Why me? I mean Ginny..it just happened so easily for her and I..what if it never happens?" Hermione's eyes widened as the thought hit her.

"You're over thinking the matter. We just need more time and less stress." -Draco pulled Hermione closer for- "_Especially_ less stress." he whispered into her ear.

"No." Hermione twisted her head away. "I should leave." she decided.

"What? Why?" Draco asked.

"This is pointless. Neither of us can tell when I could be pregnant. We don't even know if it could happen. And then what? I just wait here with no good reason? No, we had a deal and I'm calling it off." Hermione explained.

"Whoever said you can?" Draco demanded.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You said it yourself. We had a deal, so it's not up to you to call it off." Draco replied.

"Yes but it's useless for you too now." Hermione tried to reason with him.

"No, I already told you I see no reason for the haste. I think we should try again." Draco insisted.

"Yes but how do you know trying again would come up with a different result?" Hermione pursued.

"And how do you know it wouldn't?" Draco contradicted.

"I just do..I have a feeling about it." Hermione admitted.

_A fear actually_, Hermione thought. A sense of panic took hold of her as she imagined her worst fear coming true. Failure. This time, she was failing at doing the one thing she desperately wanted to do. She had grown to fancy the thought of being a mother so much that by now the idea of never being able to become one was unfathomable for her.

"What do you have to lose?" Draco asked, "What do you plan on doing when you leave? Wander aimlessly in the woods and wait for a miracle to take you away from London? You'll probably get killed the minute you set foot out of the Manor." Draco stated matter-of-factly. "And you'd be a fool if you thought I'd help you leave. We have a deal that I'm not yet willing to call off. So if you plan on doing so, you're on your own."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue further but Draco's sharp yelp of pain stopped her. He rolled up his left sleeve and Hermione saw his dark mark glowing furiously. Before she could ask what was happening he mumbled something about having to go and disappeared from the room. Less than half an hour had passed before Draco came back.

"What happened?" she asked, following Draco to his room.

"A raid." Draco replied distractedly, "One of our informants saw George Weasly and Dean Thomas in a hostel in Scotland. If we're fast enough we could catch them."

Hermione's eyes remained fixed on the glowing mark on Draco's hand. It looked like it was burning and the agonized expression on his face only supported Hermione's theory. Her mind wandered off to the information she just heard. If she sent an owl to Ginny now, she might be able to warn George before the Death Eaters reached him. It was a weak possibility but still worth trying. She was distracted by Draco's hand cupping her cheek.

"Stay." he pleaded quietly, "Stay until I'm back and then we'll talk."

"What difference would it make?" she asked.

"Just stay. If you still want to leave when I'm back, I'll help you." he offered.

"Why?" Hermione cocked her head to one side.

"Hermione, just stay!" Draco repeated impatiently; the pain in his arm wasn't helping with his temper.

"How long will you be away?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, two or three days." he replied.

She looked away from Draco, trying to decide whether or not she should wait for him. _What do you have to lose?_ his question echoed in her mind. Not much, she brooded. She barely had anything to lose. And despite herself, Hermione had to admit that the time she had spent in the Manor felt like a desperately needed vacation from all the stress she'd been living through.

Draco's hand snaked around Hermione's neck. He cupped the nape of her neck and brought her closer.

"Stay." he whispered against the corner of her mouth.

"I really..can't see your..point." she struggled to phrase her words.

"Stay." he repeated, hugging Hermione's frame tightly into his.

"I don't.." Hermione mumbled. She stopped abruptly when Draco dropped a feather-light kiss on the bridge of her nose.

"_Stay._" his usually confident voice sounded desperate.

Hermione's gaze was held by Draco's demanding gaze. Maybe she should stay until news about George and Dean came. _Lame excuse_! A voice inside Hermione's head scoffed at her. _It wasn't an excuse_, she contradicted herself. The only reason she was going to wait for Draco's return was to hear from him what happened with George and Dean. Just that, no ulterior motives. Draco's company wasn't the least bit tempting and she definitely preferred the loneliness of an old house or a forest to the undesirable company of Draco Malfoy.

_It gets a bit more believable every time you say it_, the wretched voice mocked her.

"Fine." Hermione almost groaned, "Until you're back." she decided.


	15. Chapter 15

"Draco Malfoy you bloody git!" Hermione fumed at Draco the minute he walked through the door.

"This has to be the most passionate 'welcome back home' I've ever received." Draco remarked sardonically.

"You have no idea how tempted I am to strangle you right now." Hermione hissed, glaring at him.

"If you calm down, I could explain." Draco said.

"Explain what exactly? You were away for eleven days when you said you'd be back in two or three days. Do you have any idea what kind of thoughts I was having during those eleven days?"

"No, what kind of thoughts?" Draco asked as he threw himself on a near sofa, too exhausted to stand up.

"Morbid ones! By the fifth day I was convinced that you're dead." Hermione admitted, "And Ginny knew absolutely nothing either."

"Blaise hardly had time to send love letters." Draco quipped, "And, are you implying you were actually worried for me?" he quirked a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Yes!" Hermione hadn't realized the fact until she heard Draco saying it out loud.

Draco studied Hermione intently. As if trying to weigh the truth in her simple yes.

"What happened? What took you so long? " Hermione demanded quickly before he had a chance to dissect her answer.

"Technically speaking, we somehow had to chase a group of insurgents all over Scotland." Draco replied after a pause, seemingly agreeing to let go of what he considered notable progress in their relationship, at least for the moment.

"And you..caught them?" Hermione asked, the shrillness in her voice giving away the fear she was trying to mask.

"Only two, Weasly and Thomas managed to escape along with some girl we couldn't identify but there are two other wizards who we got to capture." Draco informed.

Hermione sighed in relief when she heard the news about George and Dean. Her relief, though, was soon replaced by worry about the other two wizards who got caught.

"Who are those two?"

"I can't recall their names."

"So..um..what happens to the people you capture?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"You..kill them?"

"Will you ever stop sounding so accusative?" Draco waved his hand in a frustrated gesture, "I have nothing to do with whatever happens to them after they're captured. Some of them are killed, some imprisoned, some are smart enough to switch sides at the right time."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask further questions about the identity of those two wizards but Draco raised his hand in a motion to stop her.

"You can postpone your interrogation, I desperately need a decent bath." he dismissed as he walked past her and up to his room.

Hermione studied him as he passed by her. His once elegant robe was ripped. Among the different stains that ruined the expensive fabric, what caught her eyes the most were the blood stains. Was it his own blood? Hermione wondered. She hadn't seen any visible wounds on him. His face was darker than usual and it looked like he was rolling in either mud or fire. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheekbones looked higher than usual. And then there was this beard! Hermione had never seen a hint of facial hair on Draco. He was usually ridiculously clean-shaven. Reluctantly, Hermione admitted to liking the short beard that covered his jawline and the faint mustache above his lips.

She decided to follow him to his room and continue the conversation she had been waiting for for eleven days now. She knocked several times on his door but got no answer. Then she heard some noise from her room and saw light coming through the door.

"What are you doing?" she asked Draco as he was entering the adjoined bathroom.

"Having a bath." Draco replied simply.

"Here?" she asked with an incredulous look.

"No, that would be terribly inconvenient. In the bathroom of course." he quipped.

"_That_ bathroom?" she rephrased her question for the third time.

"Yes! What's wrong with it?" Draco huffed impatiently.

"This is supposed to be _my_ room!" Hermione pointed out.

"Oh.." Draco checked his surroundings briefly, "It used to be mine so I just walked in out of habit." he explained.

"It's alright, I just.." Hermione started to say.

"Of course, if you don't trust me with _your_ bathroom, you could always join me. You know, make sure I don't flood the floor with water...steal bottles of shampoo. All sorts of life-threatening blasphemies that might happen if I was left alone in a bathroom." Draco jested, faking a serious expression.

Hermione fought back a chuckle. "I think I'll take the risk" she said.

"Are you sure you don't want to supervise me in there? Because I don't mind."

"Yes, positive."

"That's disappointing, I think I needed that supervision. "

"Unfortunately, I'll have to pass. "

Draco shrugged with what looked like a 'your loss' kind of expression before closing the bathroom door behind him. Hermione sat on one of the chairs in the corner of the room waiting for Draco to come out. She suddenly dreaded the the conversation she had been planning for ever since he had left. If things went the way she expected, if Draco kept his word and decided to help her leave. She would soon leave the manor forever. She'd be free and maybe even reunited with her friends, fighting like she should. So why wasn't she giddy with anticipation already?

It was the sense of going back to the real world that terrified her the most. Her stay at the manor was a well earned moment of peace. Years of having to live in the shadow and worry about every coming day made her appreciate the air of security the manor had provided her with. _There was no more of that_, she told herself determinedly. Now she had to go back to the war zone that was her real life.

A loud groan of pain caught Hermione's attention. She pressed her ear to the bathroom door and heard another pained moan.

"What's wrong?" Hermione demanded loudly. A muffled moan came in response.

Without further hesitation, she opened the door and headed towards Draco who had his torso slightly bent down. He was holding his arm tightly.

"What is it? Your arm? Is it your mark again?" Hermione asked quickly, trying to ignore his stark nakedness.

"No.." Draco mumbled, breathing sharply.

"What is it, then!" Hermione repeated in nervous impatience. Draco's agonized expression and unhelpful abrupt reply caused panic to crawl over her, "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." she added.

"My arm.." Draco breathed in a barely audible rough voice.

"Let me see it." Hermione moved closer to him, reaching for his arm and inspecting it closely.

"What exactly is wrong with it?" Hermione asked with a frown, unable to find anything looking unusual about said arm.

"Absolutely nothing. " Draco grinned wickedly as he pulled Hermione into the bathtub, trapping her between the wall and himself.

"You filt..." Hermione's rage was about to start.

Draco's lips crashed into Hermione's. He pinned her hands down with one hand while the other one tried to angle her head to allow him better access to her mouth. He spent more time on that kiss than he had on all their previous kisses combined. When he finally pulled away, her hands weren't jerking half as forcefully as they were at first.

"Let go of me." Hermione said breathily.

"You have to sound more convincing" Draco replied, nuzzling the hollow of her collarbone.

"Why the trick?" Hermione mumbled.

"Was there any other way to bring you here?" Draco asked as his fingers started tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"No..probably not." Hermione replied slowly, doing a half-hearted attempt at pushing Draco away.

"Why?" Draco finally raised his head up to look at Hermione, "Why aren't things ever easy where you're concerned?" his distracted eyes gave her the impression that he was asking himself rather than her. "Why do I always have to lure you like I'm hunting a prey? It's not supposed to be like this!" he added desperately.

"I don't even know what it's supposed to be like. This whole situation confounds me!" Hermione admitted.

"Because you think too much. I offered you a chance and you took it. Reluctantly maybe, but at the end of the day, you took it. And you've been punishing yourself and me for that decision ever since!" Draco exhaled sharply, unable to grasp Hermione's logic.

"I'm not punishing you!" Hermione replied defensively

"This could go on forever." Draco groaned in frustration, "I'm not in the mood for talking right now." he laced his fingers in Hermione's hair and pulled her head back.

"Draco.." Hermione never got to finish her sentence as Draco's teeth bit into the hollow of her throat.

She cursed her treacherous body in her mind. A highly logical part of her knew she should be sensible enough to push Draco away and leave. Then there was an absurdly inappropriate part of her that seemed to be growing more powerful every day, that made any attempts she did at pushing him away, completely futile.

"Stop brooding" Draco ordered as he raised a finger to smooth the creases in Hermione's forehead, "Just relax and go with it." he coaxed softly.

Hermione pushed her head back further and let the warm jets of water wash her face. Her wet clothes were starting to irritate her too much that she decided to give into Draco's constant tugging and let him slide her t-shirt over her head. Even before the wet t-shirt reached the floor, Draco's lips and his rough beard were leaving red marks on her soft mounds.

Soon, the rest of Hermione's clothes joined her t-shirt. Draco's warm mouth sucked in one erect nipple while his fingers squeezed the other. His other hand was on her back, his long fingers dug deeply into her behind. Hermione moaned at the painful pressure Draco's fingers were applying on her.  
>He moved his fingers away from her breast and let his hand glide over her stomach with agonizing laze. Hermione pushed her hips forward, hoping this would urge Draco to be faster. A familiar smirk played on his lips as he pulled his hand back and raised his head up to kiss her.<p>

He slid one finger inside her wet folds. After a few minutes, another finger joined the first one. Hermione's knees felt weak and she threw herself into Draco, resting her hand on his shoulder for support. The short hairs of his beard grazed her cheek. She leaned into him, letting her lips explore his neck leisurely.  
>Her other hand skimmed over the taut muscles of his stomach. It slid down until it came in contact with his hard length. Hermione tentatively touched him with the tips of her fingers. Draco's slow fingers suddenly pushed deeply into her.<p>

Taken aback by the surprise movement, Hermione's hand closed tightly over him. With a loud almost animalistic growl, Draco pulled his wet fingers out and smeared her lips. His tongue ran over her lips before he sucked in her lower lip. Hermione shivered when Draco pressed her against the cold wall. He raised one of her legs and Hermione instinctively folded it behind his back, clutching his arm tightly. With one decisive move, he entered her.

Every deep thurst brought Hermione closer to her release. She was aware of every bit of her surroundings. The cold marble wall behind her back. The warm water jets. The heat of her body increased by Draco's own heat. The contracted muscles of hi arm, twitching under her hand. The novelty of feeling Draco's beard on her skin. His rhythm becoming faster with every thrust.

When one moment gathered all those sensations together, Hermione arched her back as she experienced her most shattering climax. She was dimly aware of Draco saying her name when he couldn't hold back his own climax any longer. His hold on her loosened and Hermione swayed into him, almost causing him to fall into the hard floor of the bathtub.

"When I said making love to you was almost lethal, I didn't mean for you to take it literally." Draco said with a chuckle, panting for air.

"I didn't mean to." Hermione said when she was able to find her voice. Her mind was busy trying to remember when had he said that.

"It's alright." Draco assured, tucking back several wet tendrils of hair that covered her eye.

He moved his legs carefully, as if testing if they were functioning properly before getting out of the bathtub. He extended his hand to Hermione who took it hesitantly, unable to decide whether her knees were to be trusted to move or not. He scanned the bathroom with narrow eyes until he spotted some neatly folded towels near the sink. He muttered something and two towels floated in the air and hovered next to him.

He wrapped one towel around Hermione's shoulders and she held it tightly around her body, reveling in the warmth it offered. With the tip of the other towel, he patted her hair gently before drying his own hair and throwing the towel at the counter.

"Can you walk?" Draco questioned.

"Of course." Hermione replied instantly.

In an attempt to prove her answer, she walked a couple of steps before slipping in the pool of water their bodies had left on the floor. Draco quickly reached for her, pulling her up before her head fatally collided with the hard floor.

"Your ego will eventually kill us both." Draco muttered under his breath as he scooped Hermione into his arms and strode out of the bathroom.

"I just slipped, accidents like that happen all the time." Hermione defended herself indignantly.

Draco stood in front of the bed and threw Hermione on the soft mattress.

"_Oy_!" Hermione protested.

"I slipped, accidents like that happen all the time." Draco shrugged at her with a smirk that proved his 'slip' was intentional. Hermione scoffed at him.

He lay down next to her lazily, resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes. Hermione glanced at him. The way he blatantly lay there without caring to cover his naked body startled her. But that was Draco Malfoy, of course he'd have no trouble flaunting every asset he had. And what an asset! Hermione mused, scolding herself instantly at the crude thought.

Her eyes studied him leisurely for the first time from such a close distance. She noticed a scar running all the way from his shoulder and stopping right above his elbow. His chest rose and fell slowly as he took deep breaths. Her eyes moved further down, shyly looking away from his semi-hard length.

"You really shouldn't look at me like that if you don't plan on acting upon it." Draco advised huskily, looking at Hermione from beneath hooded eyes.

"I wasn't..I was..distracted." Hermione mumbled, bending her head down to let her hair fall over her face.

Draco raised himself up and cupped Hermione's neck, pressing her into the mattress with his weight, "Challenge accepted." he murmured into her ear. The mischief in his voice promising a long night.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So, I owe you guys an apology for this late chapter but I was so caught up in finishing my other story that I didn't have enough time or peace of mind to write this one. Sorry for that. :)**

* * *

><p>Draco walked back to his office lazily. His hours at the office passed by at a pace too slow for his liking. Blaise was walking next to him. With a distracted mind, he heard him complaining for the umpteenth time about Ginny. He had to exert a huge effort to stop himself from slapping some sense into Blaise's thick head.<p>

If only he could hear himself speaking, he'd realize the problem was in him as much as it was in Ginny. Blaise simply didn't know what he wanted. He spent so much time pretending that he knew what he didn't and didn't want, when the truth was the complete opposite.

Blaise wanted Ginny, wanted more of her than he dared to admit. And Draco knew too well what it was like to want somebody against your own will. But it still didn't give Blaise an excuse to act like an emotional teenager. Draco knew his friend well enough and he wasn't the same person standing in front of him now.

The Blaise he knew was cool, poised, an absolute bastard and the only thing he felt was probably hunger. Aside from being the same bastard, nothing about him was still the same. His usual poker face was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a constant intimidating scowl.

Draco passed by a huge mirror and he was surprised to see the same scowl on his own face. His mind drifted back to his own mess. Around a month ago he was experiencing that very same situation. But last time, he had to worry about how Hermione would react when she knew she wasn't pregnant. Now he couldn't tell whether or not she was pregnant.  
>Normally, she should be. Twenty one days have passed since he came back from the mission that took longer than expected. Hermione had tried to leave once more.<p>

_"Draco..I have to leave." she had surprised him with the sudden announcement as he lay in bed next to her, silently enjoying the aftermath of having her._

_"Why? Why do you keep insisting?" he demanded exasperatedly._

_"We've already talked about this. You said you'd help me when you come back from your mission. So, are you still going to help me?" _

_"I would..but it's too late now."_

_"Too late? Why so?"_

_"Because, aren't you worried that what just happened could have consequences?"_

_"Consequence..?"_

_"A baby, Hermione. You might very well become pregnant."_

_"We've talked about this before.." _

_"Yes we did, and I made it clear that I don't agree with you on that account."_

_"Draco, nothing is going to happen."_

_"But what if something does? Can you be one hundred percent sure nothing will?"_

_"No.." Hermione replied._

_"Then stay, what harm could twenty one more days cause?"_

A sharp poke stabbing his ribs brought Draco back to the present. His hand was hovering over the door handle and Blaise was urging him to open it or step back so he could open it himself.

"Idgy!" Draco exclaimed in surprise when he opened the door to find his house elf waiting for him inside the office.

"Master Draco." Idgy jumped in alarm at the sight of Draco.

"What is it? Why are you here?" Draco demanded.

Idgy opened her mouth to say something then she closed it again. She looked at Blaise for a moment then her eyes scanned the room. She went to the corner of the room and dragged one of the chairs, causing a terrible screech. She stopped the chair inches away from Draco and jumped to stand on it. Standing on the tip of her toes, she tried to whisper something into Draco's ear.

Draco bent his head down slightly, straining to hear Idgy's quickly spoken words.

"Miss Hermione told Idgy to find Master Draco. She wants Master Draco to come back to the Manor."

"Has something happened? Is she alright?"

"Idgy does not know, sir."

Without waiting to hear more, Draco darted out of his office with Idgy scurrying in his wake. He ignored Blaise's calls after him. The minute his feet touched the ground outside Walpurgis castle, Draco grabbed Idgy's hand and apparated back to the Manor. He opened the door to find Hermione standing idly, looking so tiny in the spacious hall.

"What happened?" Draco asked as he strode towards her.

"Nothing.." Hermione mumbled.

She cursed herself repeatedly in her head. When she had performed the pregnancy spell once more, she did it while already predicting the result. However, she couldn't help the streak of hope that whispered to her that this time she might actually be pregnant. She had spent her days wondering whether the problem was with her or Draco. But he seemed so confident. So sure that it was only a matter of time, and Hermione wished she had half his confidence.

Then a ray of green light came out of the tip of her wand, taking the form of a fetus before evaporating. Doubting that it was just a figment of her mind, Hermione performed the spell three more times. Feeling suddenly confused by the news, she didn't want to be alone in this. She needed a fragment of Draco's self-assurance that always made things seem so easy.

Sometimes, he'd argue with her for hours over something that's worrying her and Hermione would catch herself wondering what made it seem so complicated before. Despite herself, she had grown to seek the comfort he so willingly offered. Why he offered it, though, was still beyond her.

"_Nothing_, Hermione? Really? So you just sent Idgy to wait for me at the office because what? You felt lonely?" Draco barely controlled the anger in his voice.

"Umm...somehow. I mean..I performed the spell. The pregnancy spell." Hermione replied, tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked down at her feet. Suddenly regretting sending for Draco.

"And..?" Draco asked calmly, all traces of his anger gone.

"I'm pregnant." Hermione announced.

"And how are you feeling about it?" Draco prompted.

"I don't know." Hermione admitted, "It's what we've agreed upon."

"That doesn't really answer my question." Draco pursued.

"I'm...excited. I want to be a mother, I just don't know what to expect from now on. From people..from you-know-who. I don't know how things would go from here."

"I'd be lying if I said I know what we should expect." Draco admitted, "I have to pay the Dark Lord a visit and tell him about this. If we want to survive this then he can't simply find out on his own."

"How do you know he won't kill us both?" Hermione asked.

"There are laws, rules that even he has to abide by if he wants to maintain the control he has over the wizarding world." Draco replied, "He needs Death Eaters as much as they need him. If he starts taking their privileges away, he looses their conditional loyalty."

_And there it was_, Hermione thought. The calm assurance. The way he answered her question so matter-of-factly gave her the impression that nothing could possibly contradict his theory.

"I should go now." Draco said.

"So soon?" Hermione almost whimpered.

"The sooner the better. Aren't you fed up with being confined to the Manor already?" Draco asked.

"Yes, but..." Hermione agreed.

"Hermione," Draco cupped Hermione's face between his hands, "it will be alright." he promised.

Hermione nodded faintly. She closed her eyes as Draco pressed a chaste kiss to the bridge of her nose. She watched him leave, knowing that this time trusting Draco's words might cost her her life.

She watched the clock for too long. Her panic rose to dangerous levels by every passing minute. After three agonizing hours, Draco was back. His face looked paler than usual. His gaze kept eluding hers as if he was afraid of making eye contact with her.

"Should I be running for my life?" Hermione quipped.

"He wants to see you." Draco informed grimly.

Thirty minutes later, Draco's hand was on Hermione's elbow as he guided her through the several stairs and corridors of Walpurgis castle. People were staring at them in disbelief. Some of them thought Hermione was long dead. Some couldn't believe Draco actually managed to capture Hermione Granger. And some of them couldn't help but envy him the reward that he must expect for capturing her.

Draco stood before a huge wall-length door. "I really need you to trust me with this." he nearly begged.

The door opened._ Obnoxious bastard_, Hermione thought when her eyes fell on the huge throne-like chair that dominated the room. Nothing screamed megalomania more than the man sitting in front of her. She stopped abruptly in her tracks. A stab of pain seemed to run through her eyes and directly into her brain. Her thoughts were clouded and suddenly she couldn't think of anything anymore.

"Stop those bloody thoughts, Granger." Draco hissed at her out of the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, there she is! The brightest witch of her age." Voldemort greeted with mock admiration. "Step forward." he ordered.

Hermione hesitated for a moment before taking several steps forward. She raised her chin up, refusing to show any hint of the fear that grew inside her.

"Such an undeserved title. But it was inevitable. All that mud running through your veins had to eventually corrupt your mind." Voldemort spat disdainfully.

Hermione winced at the contempt the man's voice dripped. The longer she spent in his company the more certain she became that she wouldn't leave this room alive. She was no longer affected by being called a Mudblood. Hearing the same insult said over and over again until it became an everyday term, made it lose its ability to offend her.

"I have to admit, Hermione Granger, that I can't really tell. Were you extremely smart or just ridiculously lucky?" Voldemort glanced briefly at Draco, "I'll go with the second."

"It's a shame I'll have to disagree." Hermione blurted before she could stop herself. She heard Draco's sharp intake of breath indicating she had just done a mistake.

"You think so highly of yourself, Mudblood." Voldemort spat, "I'm glad I have to eliminate killing you. It would've been too easy for you. You're getting what you deserve. Hermione Granger, the girl who fought so relentlessly for Harry Potter...wife to a Death Eater and mother of one." he twisted his mouth in what looked like a sadistic smile.

"_Crucio!_" Voldemort roared suddenly, pointing his wand at Hermione.

Draco's hand closed tightly over Hermione's arm. He pulled her away from the red ray of light, seconds before it hit her. They both stood fixed in their places. Voldemort slowly tilted his head at Draco, questioning him silently.

"My lord," Draco bent his head slightly, "she has my child."

Voldemort bit out a short cruel laugh, "Lies, Draco." he hissed, "That's not all. You want the girl for yourself. But I don't mind that; I'm in a generous mood. Plus, you deserve your own spoils of war."

Voldemort stood up and made his way towards Draco and Hermione. He narrowed his eyes on Draco, standing one step away from him.

"Take her, Draco. But you should know from this moment on, if she becomes by any means affiliated with the insurgents, if she as much as greets anybody who is remotely related to them, she's _dead_. And you will do it yourself." Voldemort promised ominously.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: My sincere apologies for this extremely late chapter. I was too sick to look at my laptop's screen for five minutes. I also have so much work and exams at college currently so excuse me if the updates aren't as weekly as before. I promise to make it up for you once my vacation starts.**

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><p>"I can't believe you actually did that!" Draco fumed as he led Hermione out of the room<p>

"Did what exactly?" Hermione frowned in confusion

"You stood before an extremely skilled leglimece who also happens to be the darkest wizard of all time and you kept insulting him in your head _and_ out loud." Draco cleared up.

"I'm sorry were we listening to the same thing? Is that really what caught your attention? Have you heard the part where he said that you should kill me or was it just my lack of sleep! " Hermione snapped.

"Yes I did, but I'm not worrying about that because it was hypothetical." Draco replied dryly.

"Hypothetical!" Hermione scoffed, "What about Ginny? What about Mr. Weasley? They're probably the only friends I have left. What am I supposed to do? See one of them in the street and just look the other way because if I don't I'd get killed? What sort of madness is this?"

"They don't count." Draco pointed out.

"How's that?" Hermione asked.

"After George's escape they were trialed. Arthur Weasley was forced to disown his son."

"But what about the rest of the Weasleys. They're.."

"Dead. The rest of them are dead. The only ones left were Arthur Weasley, his daughter and one of his twins."

"But Ginny..." Hermione stopped abruptly in the middle of her sentence, catching herself minutes away from revealing the information she knew about the Weaslys.

"But Ginny what?" Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at Hermione.

"Ginny...never told me about that trial." Hermione mumbled.

"She doesn't necessarily have to be proud of it." Draco shrugged.

Hermione was silent for a moment. She took her time to study her new situation in her head. People's stares were becoming more blatant and their whispers more audible. Draco waved his hand in front of her.

"Things look...different." she remarked as she scanned her surroundings.

"Different good or different bad?" Draco asked.

"Different terrible." Hermione scoffed, "Everything looks bleaker, darker..even people."

"Dark times, literally and metaphorically speaking." Draco twisted his mouth sardonically.

"Are we going back to the Manor?" Hermione asked.

"Aren't you sick of the confines of the Manor already?" Draco prompted.

"Well yes, so I was hoping I could go for a walk." Hermione replied.

"I'll come with you." Draco said.

"It's okay, really, I can manage on my own." Hermione dismissed.

Draco sighed exasperatedly. He ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the nape of his neck as if to calm himself down before speaking.

"Alright..would you mind if I joined you?" he offered.

"No, it's okay." Hermione conceded.

"Great. For starters, let's get out of this ridiculously crowded street." Draco urged, holding Hermione's arm and guiding her through the crowds.

"Why?" Hermione demanded in confusion as she tried to keep up with Draco's strides.

"_Draco!_" a high pitched voice crooned behind Hermione's back. Draco's smile faded and his relaxed frame tensed.

Hermione turned around to see an old colleague. Pansy Parkinson brushed past her with a wide smile plastered across her face.

"How are you doing, love?" Pansy purred. She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek.

"I thought you were in France." Draco said, freeing the lapel of his coat from Pansy's steel grip.

"I came back this morning" Pansy informed, "You look pale." she pouted, brushing Draco's cheek with the tips of her fingers.

"When haven't I looked pale, Pansy?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her.

"You look dull, darling. Merlin knows what sort of terrible company you've been having lately." Pansy rolled her eyes, turning her head to glance briefly at Hermione before looking back at Draco.

Draco looked at Hermione who was standing behind Pansy. Her cheeks were flooded with an angry shade of crimson. Her hands were clenched into fists beside her and her expression was blank.

"I've had perfect company actually, unlike you." Draco smirked.

"I don't want to talk about this now." Pansy raised her chin up indignantly.

"That makes two of us." Draco shrugged impassively, "We have to go now."

Hermione barely held back a scoff. It was about time Draco recognized her existence, she thought. Pansy Parkinson was twice as annoying as she remembered her. With her hair stopping inches before her shoulder, her face heavily made up and her gaze as icy as ever. And just like at Hogwarts, she was still finding it hard to keep her hands off of Draco. It was Draco's distant and even rude reaction that took Hermione by surprise.

"I'll pay you a visit as soon as I'm free." Pansy called after him.

"I'll let you know when you can." Draco called back, walking in long strides.

Hermione's mind raced with thoughts. She still hadn't recovered from Voldemort's threats, only to have Pansy thrown at her face. Was Pansy still with Draco? Hermione found herself wondering. Even worse, would she still be with him now? And if she did, did Hermione have the right to be mad? The thought of being _the other woman_ irritated Hermione.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, studying Hermione's frowning face.

"I just got threatened by the darkest wizard of all times that I'd get killed if I greeted any of my old friends! That's what's wrong!" Hermione snapped at him.

"Hermione, you won't meet any of them." Draco replied simply.

"Of course I will! There must be some of them still around, at least some of their families." Hermione contradicted.

"There are no insurgents in England, except of course the ones we're chasing. Non of their families remained either. Only those who agreed to disown family members who joined the insurgents were able to stay." Draco informed. "So there's zero to no chance that you'd meet any of them. Not to mention that the Dark Lord won't necessarily keep track of your everyday routine. He was just doing what he always does. Terrorize people enough of doing the action so they won't dare test whether he would go ahead with his threats or not."

"What about the others? The families that refuse to disown insurgents." Hermione asked. Draco's silence was enough answer for her.

"You killed them!" Hermione gasped.

"Always the accusative tone." Draco muttered under his breath. "_I_ didn't kill anybody. But yes, some of them were killed. Others were sent to Azkaban...where they will eventually die."

"You don't have to cast the killing curse to kill somebody. By chasing them, raiding their houses and bringing them forth to fake trials where they would instantly face death or have to wait for it, you still killed them." Hermione shook with anger.

"Alright, what is this sudden Draco bashing session?" Draco frowned at Hermione incredulously.

"I don't feel like walking anymore, let's go back to the Manor." Hermione ignored Draco's question. She herself didn't know what caused the sudden fit.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco asked, guiding Hermione into a narrow, less crowded alley.

"Nothing's wrong. I just want to go back." Hermione replied.

"Fine we'll go back, but first let me know what's with the sudden change." Draco pursued.

"Draco, I'm alright." Hermione lied, "Let it go." she pleaded.

"I won't, and you're lying. Something is obviously wrong, so what is it?" Draco insisted.

"I _said_ nothing." Hermione gritted her teeth.

"Hermione, com..." Draco started to urge her more.

"Are you with Pansy?" Hermione blurted, cutting him off in mid-sentence.

"_What!_" Draco exclaimed with an incredulous frown. "Where did this come from!"

Draco was about to say something but he was interrupted by loud gasps coming from two old women passing by them, staring at Hermione in disbelief. He cursed under his breath. After scanning his surroundings, he led Hermione into a seemingly abandoned house.

"Look, Draco. It would be mad to expect you not to have other..wom...girlfriends...or whatever you call them. Because let's face it, this isn't even a relationship to begin with." Hermione bit out a nervous laugh, "We had a deal and we're going through with it. But I really can't put up with the idea of being that other woman who steals another one's boyfriend. So if you were with Pansy or still are with her, I'd like to know."

"Hermione calm down." Draco's hands brushed the length of Hermione's shoulders. He took her trembling hands in his. "I'm _not_ with Pansy. I was at some point, but that ended months before I've found you in Australia." Draco said, "She's going out with Marcus Flint now. They were spending a weekend at France and she caught him cheating on her. People saw him running out of their hotel room half naked, running from Pansy while she tried to hex him. That was the unpleasant company I was talking to her about." he grinned widely at Hermione's poor attempts at suppressing her laugh.

"So..no Pansy?" Hermione asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No Pansy. Nobody else either. I'm not sure how long it would take to improve that hideous image you have of me. But I'll push my luck and assume you'd believe me when I say there won't be anybody else. We had a deal at first, yes." Draco nodded slightly, "But we have more than that now and you should start acting accordingly."

"I'm..I'm not sure I understand what that means." Hermione said.

"It means I'm trying to make the best out of this and you're not helping. It means that I've spent quite a while trying to show you my true colors and you still couldn't let yourself believe that they were actually true." Draco exhaled sharply in frustration. "It means that even though I'm putting more effort in this relationship than I've put in anything else in my life, you still reuse to even refer to it as a relationship. So it's not perfect, alright I get it. It's not perfect for me either. But it's what we have, what we both agreed upon. So, do you want to spend your days mourning your wretched luck that threw you in a Death Eater's way?"

"No.." Hermione mumbled, shaking her head.

"Good, because you're smarter than this. We're both smarter than this, Hermione. So let's not make stupid decisions just because we're too proud and righteous to make the smart ones." Draco urged.

Hermione wanted to argue about being called righteous but she decided against it. "Alright." she said instead.

"Okay, let's go back to the Manor. You look so pale you could become a Malfoy." Draco smirked at her as he held her arm and apparated to the Manor.

The minute Draco walked through the door, he was greeted by his mother's anxious frown.

"Draco, where have you been?" she demanded.

"I didn't know you were here." Draco replied, already expecting his mother to pay him a visit as soon as she heard about Hermione.

"Of course I would be here. Are you alright?" Narcissa asked as she strode over to Draco.

She cupped his cheek and pulled him down to hug him. Over her son's shoulder, Narcissa saw Hermione stealing glances at her while fiddling with her linked fingers.

"Ms. Granger." Narcissa Malfoy nodded her head curtly in Hermione's direction. "Or do the two of us share the same title already?" she raised a questioning eyebrow at Draco.

"Let's talk about this somewhere else." Draco suggested, taking his mother's elbow and heading towards the near study. "We'll be back in a few minutes." he said to Hermione with an apologetic smile.

"I can't believe you haven't told me about this earlier!" Hermione heard Narcissa mutter under her breath as Draco closed the door behind them.

Hermione rested on a near chair. In front of her was a huge mirror and she gaped at her reflection. She was indeed paler than ever, and her hair desperately needed to be trimmed. She called for Linny, one of the friendliest house elves she got to meet in the Malfoy Manor.

"Yes mistress." Linny waited patiently for Hermione's orders.

"Linny, you really need to stop calling me that. It's..odd." Hermione said.

"Call you what, mistress?" Linny asked with a confused frown.

"Mistress. I don't want you to call me mistress anymore. Ms. Hermione would be great." Hermione prompted.

Linny nodded meekly. She looked at her feet, toying nervously with the ragged piece of cloth that barely covered her body.

"Alright, I need something to drink. Some orange juice maybe?" Hermione requested.

"Yes mistr..yes miss Hermione." Linny nodded eagerly before disapparating back to the kitchen and returning minutes later with a glass of fresh orange juice.

By the time Hermione finished her juice, Narcissa Malfoy had emerged from the study, followed by Draco.

"Take good care of yourself, darling." Narcissa murmured to Draco as he kissed her forehead.

She headed towards Hermione who was standing awkwardly near the stairs. Draco followed her.

"Draco, remember that crimson gown I left in my room here?" Narcissa asked suddenly.

"I guess, yes." Draco replied, unsure what brought this up.

"Can you please bring it for me?" she requested.

"Of course, I'll have one of the house elves look for it." Draco said.

"Oh don't be silly. I don't want house elves messing around with my clothes. Do it yourself, dear." she insisted.

After a long silent pause, Draco finally relented. He dragged his feet reluctantly up the stairs, afraid of what his mother would say to Hermione the minute he was out of sight.

"So I believe congratulations are due." Narcissa smiled at Hermione.

"Uh..umm...thank you." Hermione mumbled.

"I'll have you know, Ms. Granger, that I have nothing against you personally. I just want what's best for my son. To see him happy. But I have failed at doing both." Narcissa twisted her mouth ruefully, "Draco is an amazing boy..man. He's an amazing man. Regardless of what you might think of him. This is not his lifestyle, not what he wanted for himself. He deserves much better. Take him away. Away from all this." she waved her hands in the air. "Take him somewhere where you don't have to panic every time he leaves the house because there's a high chance he won't be coming back." she sighed desperately.

"If his own mother couldn't take him away from this, how do you expect _me_ to do it?" Hermione asked, hoping Narcissa would give her a helpful answer.

Narcissa studied Hermione from head to toe. Her eyes lingered on her belly before looking back into her eyes. "You have a stronger hold on him now than I've ever had." she replied simply before turning around and heading to the door.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: To publish or not to publish. I wrote that chapter shortly after my last update, and I thought I should postpone posting it for a while so that I'd have something to post during the next -extremely busy- week. But I just can't stand writing a chapter and keeping it for myself so I decided to publish it anyway. But you guys will have to excuse me if it took me a week or so to write the next chapter.**

**Oh and another thing, the paradoxical character that is Narcissa Malfoy. Is she nice? Is she terribly prejudiced? I just love that woman and I've written her as constantly mean and prejudiced against Hermione in another story. This time I wanted to experiment with the nice mother side of her. I sort of imagined a conversation between her and Draco in the study where he told her how he loved Hermione and pleaded with her to treat her decently and she relented because after all, whatever made her son happy was perfectly fine for her. So I'm sorry if this depiction of Narcissa disappointed you, I just felt like being nice to her in this story.**

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><p>"Where is she?" Draco asked, his eyes searching the room for his mother.<p>

"She just left" Hermione replied distractedly.

"I knew it" Draco muttered under his breath. "I knew the gown was an excuse."

Hermione looked up at Draco, studying him intently as if looking long enough would show her something she hadn't seen before. Narcissa Malfoy's words echoed in her head. She could understand a mother's admiration of her son. Of course she won't see any flaws in him, and if she did, she would ignore them. But Hermione could see it, she could see glimpses of the man Narcissa was so proud of. What she couldn't understand was why.

Had he simply grown up out of the spoilt brat he once was? Was he still the same person only putting up a well performed act because he wanted something from her? Hermione found it hard to believe all this was an act. At least she was smart enough to figure out an act that lasted for so long. Whatever happened during those six years since the war, had left its mark on Draco as much as it did on her. Hermione suddenly realized she knew very little about his life.

For two people who have lived together for months, they barely talked. And Hermione guiltily took her part of the blame for this situation. She wanted to know more of the person she was supposed to live with, to have a child with. "_You have a stronger hold on him now than I've ever had_" Narcissa Malfoy's assumption came back to Hermione's head. This hold she referred to, was it the baby?

Which is more, was it possible that the older woman had a point? Could a man like Draco be redeemed? He seemed so desperate to have a child of his own and so determined that he would make a good father. Hell he even went through all this hassle just because he wanted a child.

"You have some major concentration issues." Draco decided, bringing Hermione back from her deep thought.

"I wasn't listening, sorry." Hermione mumbled.

"Was it something my mother said?" Draco asked with a frown.

"What? No. She was actually nice." Hermione sounded amused.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Draco smiled at Hermione, relieved that his mother hadn't done any damage.

"I just..hadn't expected her to be like that. I honestly thought I had to prepare my wand." Hermione replied

"She's nice when she wants to be." Draco informed.

"She really loves you. You should see the way she speaks about you" Hermione said.

"She's my mother." Draco shrugged, a tint of pink colored his pale cheeks.

"You're lucky to have her" Hermione smiled ruefully, her chest tightening with how much she missed her own mother.

"You miss your parents, don't you?" Draco angled his head down to look at Hermione's tilted took hold of her hand and pulled her forward gently.

"More than anything" Hermione admitted, accepting the comfort Draco's shoulder offered.

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><p>At the Zabbini house, Blaise was sitting cross-legged and drumming his fingers impatiently as Pansy paced the hall back and forth.<p>

"Can you believe what Draco did! When I first heard the news I thought people have gone mad. Appeared out it was Draco who has gone mad!" Pansy ranted.

For some reason, she felt an urge to rush to Blaise and whine about her encounter with Draco. And Blaise had wanted nothing less than listening to Pansy's endless rants. If anything he felt like strangling her for being the main reason behind Daphne and Ginny's constant spars.

"She must have had him under an Imperius curse. I would've said a love potion but even under a love potion Draco wouldn't touch that Mudblood." Pansy went on.

"Actually Pansy, I was just thinking about the same thing." Ginny said as she descended the stairs, "If Malfoy's standards went as low as you, I'm honestly flabbergasted they suddenly went as high as Hermione." she twisted her mouth in disgust.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Pansy fumed at Ginny.

Pansy's hand flew to her wand and before she could raise it at Ginny, the wand flew from her hand and landed into Blaise's.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pansy frowned at Blaise.

"Me?" Blaise scoffed, "What do _you_ think you're doing?"

"Teaching that blood traitor how to speak properly to her superiors." Pansy spat.

Blaise glanced at Ginny. She was standing with one hand clenched into a fist by her side. Her other hand was clutching her wand tightly and her knuckles were white. Her lips were pursued into a thin line and she kept blinking rapidly, fighting back tears that threatened to run down her face.

"Get out Pansy" Blaise hissed.

"Have you all gone mad all of a sudden!" Pansy snapped at him. "This act has been been going on for too long. Having this girl at your house all this time has corrupted your mind."

"The only act that has been going on for too long is this sham of a friendship." Blaise barked at Pansy as he stalked over to her. "How could you enter my house, talk to me and pretend to be my friend only to rush back to your precious Daphne and conjure a mess out of thin air?" Blaise narrowed his slanted eyes on her. "You think I don't know the sort of poisonous thoughts you plant into Daphne's head? That I made a fool out of her, demeaned her? That she should be seeking revenge for her oh so wounded pride." he smirked cruelly. "You have no right to intrude on my life under the name of friendship. And neither of you has the right to tell me what to do with my life or who I should be with" his voice was laced in contempt as he towered over her.

Pansy instinctively stepped back, looking up at Blaise with wide eyes. His unexpected outburst rendered her speechless for a moment.

"Blaise" Pansy said softly, "I have no idea who fed you those lies about me. We're friends! We've been friends ever since we met at Hogwarts. Anything I do, I do out of love for you and Daphne as well. You two were great together, Blaise. How could you not see it?" She feigned a sympathetic expression. "You're blinded for some hideous reason that's beyond me. So yes, you fancied the girl while we were in Hogwarts. But we're not there anymore. We grew older now, wiser."

Pansy shot Ginny a contemptuous glare before looking back at Blaise, "She used you, Blaise. Are you too blinded to see that too? She used you to save her sorry life. But that doesn't mean you have to ruin yours in the process. You're not married to her yet, you still have time to save yourself. She got what she wanted. Now let her go and move on with your life. The life you deserve, Blaise, with your equals, people you belong to" she tried to reason with him.

"You're right" Blaise inclined his head to one side thoughtfully. Pansy's face lit up and she beamed at him. "We've been friends ever since we met at Hogwarts" he nodded. "But just like you said, we're not there anymore. We grew older, _wiser_." he repeated her words. "So it's only reasonable that we leave our so called friendship back where it belongs. A history" he sneered at her, reveling in the way her wide smile faded.

"You're making a mistake." Pansy shook her head in disbelief.

"Pansy if you have one ounce of cleverness in that empty head of yours, you wouldn't test my patience any further." Blaise warned, extending his hand to Pansy with her wand in it.

Without another word, Pansy snatched her wand from Blaise's hand and stomped out of the door, slamming it behind her. Ginny was staring at Blaise with wide eyes. She only realized she had held her breath for too long when he walked over to her and freed her wand from her icy grip.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, studying Ginny's pale face.

"I guess..yes." Ginny mumbled.

"You don't look alright to me." Blaise contradicted.

"I am. It's just that..I've...I've never seen you look so.." Ginny paused, trying to find the right word.

"Intimidating?" Blaise asked.

"To say the least." Ginny gave out a brief nervous laugh.

"Scared yet?" Blaise raised an eyebrow at her.

"It would take a lot more than you to intimidate me, Zabbini." Ginny smiled with exaggerated sweetness at him.

"Glad you regained your nerve." Blaise smirked.

"Uh..one more thing." Ginny said suddenly as if she just remembered something, "What did Pansy mean when she said you fancied the girl at Hogwarts? What girl?"

"What girl?" Blaise repeated.

Ginny studied Blaise's face for a moment, his ever so subtle blink, and the way his throat moved as he swallowed hard.

"The girl Pansy was talking about." Ginny cleared up.

"Daphne?" Blaise asked.

"No, Blaise. Another girl." Ginny replied, raising her eyebrow suspiciously at Blaise.

"I haven't heard her mentioning any other girl." Blaise lied.

"I'm sure I did. As much as I'm sure you did too." Ginny pursued.

"If I did, why would I lie to you?" Blaise argued.

"Oh I can think of a list of reasons." Ginny's mouth twisted in amusement at Blaise's poor performance of oblivion.

"Ginny, Pansy is delusional. I didn't_ fancy_ any girls at Hogwarts." Blaise insisted.

"So you fancied boys?" Ginny quipped, grinning provocatively at Blaise.

"Yes. I had a huge crush on Draco but he broke my heart and started dating Theo." Blaise answered with his most serious expression. "His loss." he shrugged impassively.

"I've always thought you two were unusually close." Ginny went on with the joke. "Do I need to warn him off you?"

"Why, do you feel the urge to have me exclusively for yourself?" Blaise's eyes gleamed dangerously and Ginny sensed a change in his tone.

"Well, I have an image to maintain. What would people think if you were wandering around with other..partners?" Ginny feigned indifference, knowing that the joke was over.

"So you're finally referring to us as partners?" Blaise barely held back the triumphant smile that played on his lips.

"It _is_ what we're supposed to be. What people expect us to be.." Ginny started to explain but Blaise cut her off. His hand reached for her waist and he pulled her closer until she had to raise her head to look into his eyes.

"Do I look like somebody who's willing to live up to people's expectations?" He asked, his gaze burning into Ginny's. "I'm not talking about people, Ginny. I'm talking about _you_." he said.

Blaise bent his head down and pressed his lips to the vein that's been throbbing ever so provocatively in Ginny's neck. He laced his other hand in her hair. Pushing her head to one side, he nibbled at her earlobe. Ginny sighed and raised her own hand to cup the nape of Blaise's neck and pull him down into her. Her other hand traced the muscles of his arm through the thin fabric of his shirt.

He raised his head up and his lips closed over Ginny's parted ones. The hunger of the kiss was only matched by the hunger in Blaise's gaze that never left Ginny's. Ginny clutched Blaise's shirt forcefully, pulling him closer and deepening their kiss. She let out a soft moan when Blaise's teeth bit at her lower lip. His lips once again found their way to hers. His tongue was almost frantic as it chased hers. Ginny growled loudly when she felt Blaise's arousal pressing against her. He tore his mouth away from her and rested his head on her shoulder. His warm breath fanned against the side of her neck.

"You have my undivided interest" he murmured into her ear. "My question is, do you _want_ it?" He raised his head up and looked directly into Ginny's eyes.

Ginny stared at Blaise for a moment. She took one shallow breath after the other. Her lips still burnt and she was acutely aware of Blaise's body pressed relentlessly against her. His gaze was silently demanding.

"Yes" she whispered her answer, knowing that -even if she didn't like it one bit- it was true.


	19. Chapter 19

**Two weeks later**

Hermione felt something touching her neck. Too sleepy to open her eyes, she twisted her head from side to side.

"You could've broken my nose doing that" Draco's voice slid through her ear, pulling her away from her sleep.

She half-opened her eyes and looked around. Her eyes fell on a pair of familiar silver eyes smiling at her. She closed her eyes again, assuming she was still dreaming and reveling in the idea of having a dream rather than the nightmares that usually haunted her. She felt a hand splayed over her belly.

"Wake up" Draco murmured.

Hermione's hand curved over Draco's, she slowly turned her back to him and covered her head with the blanket. "I refuse to wake up when it's still dark outside" she mumbled.

"It's actually sunny outside" Draco contradicted.

"It's dark inside the blanket" Hermione insisted, refusing to give up the comfort of her bed.

Draco pulled the blanket off Hermione's head. "I'm hungry" he whined, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"So am I, but I have my priorities sorted out" Hermione said, reluctantly opening her eyes and sitting up in bed.

Hermione's eyes widened at her reflection in the mirror. She instantly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it. Hearing Draco chuckle next to her, she narrowed her eyes on him.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Hermione asked.

"Yes..but I have my priorities sorted out" Draco replied, "I have more important things to do."

"What things?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Get dressed and I'll tell you over breakfast." Draco answered.

"Where are we going?" Hermione raised her eyebrow at Draco.

"You'd know if you stopped procrastinating and got out of bed" Draco pursued and without allowing Hermione any further arguments, he walked out of the door. "Don't really take your time" she heard him say over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

Hermione got out of bed lazily. Her curiosity to find out about the things Draco was talking about overcame her desire to stay in bed forever. The moment her feet touched the floor, Hermione felt an urgent need to rush to the bathroom. After an unwanted session of nausea, she started getting dressed. It was only when she finally settled on a dress to wear that she noticed a rectangular box lying on a chair next to her bed.

"_Wear this_" was written in Draco's elegant handwriting on a card on top of the box. Hermione held up the card, frowning at the authoritative tone the brief remark held. She flipped the card carelessly between her fingers, smiling briefly when she found a "_Please_" scrawled on the back of it. She opened the box to find a pair of icy blue jeans, a white shirt with three-quarter lace sleeves and a navy blue jacket.

Although unable to understand the reason behind muggle clothes, Hermione got dressed. She combed her hair and braided it hastily before heading downstairs.

Draco was moving around the kitchen with difficulty. Despite growing up in this house, he could count the rare occasions on which he visited the kitchen. He took out a flask filled with thick golden liquid. _Liquid Luck_, he smirked at the cliched name. He tapped his wand at a jug filled with orange juice and watched as it poured its contents into the two glasses in front of Draco.

When the cups were filled, he poured half the contents of the flask into one glass then poured the rest of the potion into the other glass. Years of practicing and eventually mastering Felix Felicis potion allowed Draco the luxury of having luck on his side when needed. This time, though, he didn't need luck as a helping factor. This time, luck was the only thing Draco had. He didn't have a plan, and even if he had one, he couldn't guarantee its success. He took the glasses and went to the hall, waiting for Hermione to come down.

"_I_ have a bloody perfect taste" Draco boasted smugly as he watched Hermione descend the stairs minutes later.

"Where did you get these clothes from?" Hermione asked curiously.

"From a place that sold them" Draco answered vaguely.

"I don't think anywhere in the wizarding part of London sells muggle clothes" Hermione argued.

"Some places actually do. And I never said I bought it from the wizarding part of London" Draco replied, "Let's go".

"I thought you said we were having breakfast" Hermione had a puzzled frown on her face.

"We are, but not here." Draco said.

"These clothes aren't enough to keep me warm. So unless you plan on freezing me to death, I have to put on something else before we go" Hermione pointed out, "Same goes to you" she added after noticing Draco's clothes. He was wearing a pair of beige trousers and a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"What are you wearing?" Hermione tilted her head in confusion, taking in Draco's attire.

"Clothes" Draco shrugged indifferently.

"_Muggle_ clothes" Hermione corrected, "Why are you wearing them?"

"I told you I'll explain over breakfast" Draco said impatiently, "Drink this" he ordered.

Hermione eyed the glass avidly. Later she could scowl at Draco for as much as she liked for being bossy, but now she craved the contents of the glass he was offering.

Draining his own glass, Draco closed the distance between them and took hold of Hermione's hand. He nearly threw the glasses carelessly on the nearest table then pulled her closer, his hand resting at the small of her back. He mumbled something that Hermione couldn't hear and before she could ask him to clear it up, she felt pressure being applied to every cell of her body. She closed her eyes and clutched Draco's arm tightly. The pressure was too strong that for a moment Hermione feared she and Draco would become one.

Minutes later, Hermione was once more standing on solid ground. It took her a moment to regain her balance.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded her head in response. Her eyes scanned their surroundings for a moment. She wasn't feeling the chill she had expected. It was unusually sunny and warm for London. They were standing in a narrow street and as Draco guided her to the main street, Hermione realized they weren't in London anymore. A cool breeze fanned across her face. At the end of the street, the sea dominated the scene.

"Adelaide?" Hermione whispered, "Why are we here?" she looked at Draco in confusion.

"Let's have breakfast first, I'm starving" Draco dismissed her question. He grabbed her hand and urged her forward.

Hermione wanted to ask where they were going but her eyes were hooked onto her parents' house. A house she had spent weeks hovering around, trying to catch a glimpse of them. She didn't know why Draco had brought her here. She even knew that had he suggested the idea earlier she would've instantly panicked. But for some reason over her head, Hermione had a good feeling about being there.

Draco seemed to be heading towards a cafe opposite to Hermione's parents' house. She followed him silently as they sat at one of the outdoor tables. A waitress with a wide smile made her way to their table.

"Good morning" the waitress beamed at Draco.

"Good morning" Draco smiled back briefly at the girl, "Tell me, what's the best thing you serve here?" he asked, too lazy and too hungry to check the menu just placed in front of him.

"Everything we serve here is the best, sir" the waitress replied politely.

"Yes that's what you're supposed to tell everybody. But seriously, what's the best?" Draco pursued.

Giggling, the waitress tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well..I'd personally recommend the cheesy french toa.." she began to say.

"I'll have Eggs Benedict with Salmon, please." Hermione interjected with a smile she struggled to keep as genuine as possible.

"Two then" Draco said, dismissing the baffled waitress.

"Is everything alright?" Draco asked, studying Hermione's face intently.

"Yes" Hermione replied, confirming her reply with a curt nod.

"You sounded...mad." Draco took his time to find a suitable word, "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm fine" Hermione insisted, "Pregnancy cocks up your mood, that's it."

"It's too early to blame pregnancy for everything, you know" Draco smirked at Hermione.

"So tell me why are we here?" Hermione changed the subject, refusing to discuss why she _sounded mad_, not with Draco and not even with herself.

"You said you wanted to see your parents" Draco replied simply.

"Draco I don't want them to have their memories back" Hermione's statement almost sounded like a plead.

"Why not?" Draco wondered.

"First of all, it would put them in danger. What if you-know-who found out about them? They're muggles, neither your blood status nor your Death Eater status can keep them safe" Hermione answered, "And second of all..I don't want them to know about everything that's been going around in my life. They knew a different version of me. I don't want them to know about..about.." Hermione's voice trailed off.

Draco was about to say something when the waitress arrived with their breakfast. She placed the plates in front of them and said something neither of them paid attention to.

"Me.." Draco said when the waitress walked away, "You don't want to explain _me_ to your parents".

"That's not true!" Hermione replied defensively. "I mean...of course I'll have to be extremely creative to explain how my childhood antagonist magically transformed into...into this!" She waved her hand in the air in frustration at not finding a proper title for Draco's presence in her life. "But it's not you I'm worried about. Mostly, I'm worried because my parents will always be my overprotective parents. If I explained to them the situation in the wizarding world I don't know how they would react but I'm positive it won't be good for any of us" she explained. "It's safer for both of us that way."

"What exactly is_ this_?" Draco asked thoughtfully.

"Come again?" Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You said it would be hard to explain to your parents how I transformed into _this_. So what exactly is this?" Draco cleared up.

"I don't know! That's the point!" Hermione huffed in frustration. Her voice came out louder than she had intended for it.

"Calm down; you're scaring away the customers." Draco jested, taking away the fork Hermione was gripping in stabbing position.

"This whole titles thing is very confusing" Hermione sighed desperately.

"Who needs them anyway?" Draco shrugged impassively.

"You do. You just asked me to give a name to this" Hermione replied.

"Not really, I was just intrigued. No demands made" Draco contradicted. "I mean..how would you introduce me to somebody we just met?" Draco asked.

"Oh..umm..I'll say you're a..friend" Hermione replied hesitantly.

Draco gave out a loud incredulous laugh, "You're unbelievable, do you know that?" He grinned at her.

"What? It's true. We _are_ friends now, right?" Hermione insisted.

"That would be the most vague version of the truth. You're gradually turning into a Slytherin" Draco twisted his mouth sardonically at her.

Hermione scoffed at Draco, "How would you introduce me then?" She challenged.

"Well.." Draco paused abruptly, looking at something over Hermione's shoulder. "I'm blaming you for this uneaten breakfast." He said as he stood up and pulled Hermione up with him. He asked the waitress for their bill before hastily leaving some twenty dollar notes on the table. Under his breath, Draco cursed the waitress for being late, muggle money for being complicated, and Hermione's parents for their terrible timing.

"I have no idea what's wrong with me today but the only reason I'm walking with you is because I have an odd feeling we should follow them. So, care to explain what your brilliant plan is?" Hermione demanded.

"My plan can be summed up in following that feeling of yours until we can somehow find a way to spend some time with you parents without seeming too weird and scaring them away" Draco admitted humorously.

"So you plan on following two strangers all day long, based on the gut feeling of a -currently moody- pregnant woman, waiting for a miracle to happen?" Hermione was gaping at Draco with wide eyes, unable to believe that always-have-a-plan-Draco was randomly roaming the streets of a city unfamiliar to him based on a gut feeling. "Draco, that's hardly possible" she tried to reason with him.

"We'll have to be very lucky then" Draco smirked at Hermione. She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, unable to understand the wicked gleam in his eyes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: A dedication to freedom of speech, choice and belief. A dedication to respecting others' opinions, choices and beliefs.**_


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